The “Shutterbug Series” on the Buffalo Unscripted filming schedule will allow participants to access areas of historic properties that are normally off limits to the public. Whether you are a professional photographer or just old building lovers with a point-and-shoot camera, the National Trust for Historic Preservation will be giving folks an opportunity to have their own “off limits” experiences inside some true Buffalo icons.
There will be five options, and space is limited and on a first come, first serve basis. In addition to getting a tour and being allowed to have fun with their cameras, participants will be interviewed about their fascination with these places for a documentary. Also, the photos will be displayed during a public screening event in October at the National Preservation Conference.
Here are the venues with some details on each:
1 — Central Terminal: Participants will get to see the main concourse
(including the old restaurant area), the upper mezzanine, the trolley lobby, and the grounds (something folks normally overlook but is really quite stunning).
2 — Richardson / Olmsted Complex: Participants will get to see parts of the main building (aka Towers Building) and of one or two wards. The building has been closed to the public for many years. Participants will get to see some of the exciting construction and stabilization work that is currently going on inside.
3 — Darwin Martin House: Participants will get to photograph the pergola, the conservatory, the Barton House, the gardener’s cottage, and the Martin House, which will still be under renovation at the time.
4 — Larkin District: Participants will get to tour the Larkin Powerhouse and the Larkin Building. The Larkin Building (Seneca Industrial) features an interior ramp system extending from Larkin Street to the top floor of the building that was constructed by the US Army Air Force in World War II, as well as the massive supporting structures for the soap making tanks that were the principal product produced by the Larkin Company. Also, the legacy eighth floor is in its 1940 condition, illustrating the massive size of the space and substantial structures of the early 1900s. The Larkin Powerhouse and Boiler Building is a vaulted, cavernous structure that once housed the heat and power plants for the entire Larkin Complex.
5 — Elevator Alley (aka Ohio Street Grain Elevators): Participants will get to explore the grounds of this fascinating complex of grain elevators and the interiors of some of the elevators themselves. Participants will not be going to the top of the elevator.
Space is limited for each event and available on a first come, first serve basis. People can contact unscripted@nthp.org for date/time details and to RSVP. The dates/times will not be publicized so as to prevent folks from just showing up.