One of the things that I am going to wish for in 2015 is a plan for West Ferry. As Grant Street continues to make advancements, West Ferry desperately needs some infill where sprawling parking lots exist. From the corner of Hampshire (all around La Nova is) to Herkimer, the street is in disrepair.
There are some decent bones on West Ferry, but there is also a bunch of single-story big box dreck. For as long as I can remember, I can’t think of a time when anything significant changed on this street. Recently we have seen some advancements in the ethnic food department (Pho Dollar and hopefully La Gourmet Empanadas), but that’s really about it.
The other day I did notice that a new gallery was opening at 418 West Ferry, which I thought was interesting considering the valiant efforts of the Ferry Street Corridor (bridging the East Side and the West Side through art initiatives). According to its Facebook page, Mynah Bird Gallery is an “Art gallery space on West Ferry displaying local artists and musicians. The site if especially great because Rick James and Neil Young recorded here.” Now that’s something to hang your hat on!
West Ferry is an integral corridor that bridges the city and the waterfront. The City is dumping millions into Broderick Park and Niagara Street, which means that there couldn’t be a better time to rethink the future of West Ferry – a street that could become an ethnically diverse, artistic destination rather than the tired and downtrodden street that it resembles today.