Yesterday, while attending the Preservation Awards ceremony at Kleinhans, I couldn’t help but notice the linen-set tables that were lining the reflecting pool. While I chatted with the individuals about their significant projects, I kept looking back at the tables, imagining that they were filled with people, eating and drinking, as they sat in front of the remarkable Saarinen-designed concert hall.
If you recall, I wrote a post a couple of weeks ago describing what I felt was an opportunity to take a Buffalo landmark and capitalize on it by rolling up some food trucks on Saturdays and Sundays. I recall that one commenter felt that the initiative might take away from the restaurants in Allentown, but I feel that “the rising tide floats all boats”, and that by turning Kleinhans into a beehive of activity during the day on weekends, the entire community would benefit. People would come from all over the region to sit by this architectural masterpiece, located at the end of an Olmsted Parkway, under the watchful eye of First Presbyterian Church.
Bike lanes on Porter and Richmond make it is easy for people to get to the site on two wheels, and there is parking in the back that is always empty when there is not a performance underway.
Kleinhans, if you’re listening, I’m going to be reaching out to see if there is any way something like this might be at all possible.
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