This favorite is not actually a building but, still has all the qualities of great architecture. Hughes Avenue, depicted in these images,(running along the south edge of Canisuis College main campus) is a spectacular outdoor room formed by massive old trees. In any season this quiet and unassuming street continues to take my breath away. The arching branches create an effect worthy of any great indoor space.
Anyone who has been on this planet (in Buffalo) for 50 years or more probably has vivid memories of the extraordinary canopy of elm trees that once covered the entire city. The devastation of Dutch Elm Disease wiped out most of that forest cover. By the 1970’s the destruction was nearly complete. The effect of the arching elms was described as cathedral like as the trees crossed together to form the familiar pointed gothic vault above the streets. The city has worked diligently to replace the trees and many of the new trees are now reaching a mature state. However few streets have yet to reach that glorious and heavenly state produced by those old elms.
I am not sure if the Hughes Avenue trees are elms or not but, this street gives a snap shot of what the city was like before the disease and the kind of space that can be created with living things. We don’t need to limit our architectural expression to the static materials of brick,stone, and glass. Hughes Street is also an example of how streets, even ordinary streets, can be made extraordinary when landscape elements are used architecturally rather than as mere decorations. Landscape so often adds up to no more than street clutter these days. This street uses its living landscape to bind all of its pieces into one big and delightful architectural experience. I recommend that you take the time for a short detour one block off Main Street on to Hughes. You won’t be disappointed.