A group of 50 urban explorers will gather together at the site of the demoed McBride’s tomorrow to toast to the unfortunate fate of the building. Normally these urban explorers are known for climbing through buildings that are in jeopardy of being demolished… this is the first time that I have heard of a group gathering to toast to the rubble left behind. Then again, in a city like Buffalo, there can often times be no warning before the wrecking crews descend upon a structure… leaving no time to organize a farewell toast while it still stands.
The group Forgotten Buffalo forwarded us the following: McBride’s Pub, located at 115 Chicago Street, ranked as one of the most famous sites in the history of the Irish in Buffalo. The three-story former hotel and Erie Canal era tavern once known as Quinn’s Pub, was the site where the first Buffalo St. Patrick’s Day Parade was organized in 1913. The building, a few blocks east of HSBC Arena, dated back to the 1850s.
Now their intention is to kick off a tour of the Old First Ward and South Buffalo with a toast to one of the buildings that couldn’t hold on any longer. Forgotten Buffalo hi-lights many of the structures that our city has lost over the years. By doing this, the hope is that we can learn to preserve more of our historic built environment for future generations.
The toast takes place Thursday, March 13, 2008 at 6:30pm at the corner of Chicago and Miami Streets in Buffalo’s Old First Ward.
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