It was while giving a tour a few days ago, that I mentioned to my touring companions that, “It’s hard to travel along any given city street without coming across a car with a kayak perched on top.” When I was young, the sight of a kayak or canoe in Buffalo was a rarity. But today, with all of the new waterfront access, seeing a personal water craft of this nature, parked along the curb, is a dime a dozen.
After passing along the Buffalo River from Ohio Street to Hamburg Street, our little tour came upon Mutual Riverfront Park, which is now about three years old. Fortuitously, we ran into Executive Director of Valley Community Center, Peg Overdorf, as she was handing new key fobs out to a couple who had recently leased the last locker space within the park’s kayak and canoe storage building – The Mutual Boat House, a replica of the historic Mutual Rowing Club (41 Hamburg Street at South Street). The bay has enough room for sixteen kayaks, which at the time when it was built, seemed to be a rather large number. Today, that number could easily mushroom if there was additional space, but for now there are a lucky few who got in early.
The next time you visit the park, be sure to stop by the Waterfront Memories and More Heritage Center, which is located directly next to The Mutual Boat House. The museum is open Tuesday and Saturday, from 10am to 2pm, and by appointment. Call Bert Hyde at 716-603-7242 to schedule a tour – “She loves showing the museum,” said Peg.
Also, take a moment to stop and smell the flowers that grow in the park’s rain gardens. The gardens are found along the paths that lead down to the handy kayak launch.
While speaking with Peg, she gave me some insight into the happenings that are currently unfolding in the Old First Ward. “Property is hot,” she exclaimed. “The demand is crazy. People are paying anything to get their hands on a property down here right now. I hear that a guy just sold his house on Oakland Place and is looking to buy a property. The problem is that many of the lot sizes are too small to build on (City code), but I hear that when the Green Code is passed, people will once again be able to build on lots that are smaller than 25′. A girl just bought a property on Vandalia Street for $225,000 – that’s because of the view shed at Elevator Alley. Another guy is talking about building condos. There are some environmental issues that come with the properties, but people just need to dig and remove before building. I think that it’s time that people start to look up the river, in-between here and the old Buffalo Color plant.”
Another twist that Peg informed me about is taking place at the RiverFest Park Lodge, across the river from RiverWorks. Not only will the lodge be available for events and banquets, Peg tells me that people can now expect a restaurant to be opening in the building. “It will probably open in October,” Peg said. “We will start off slow with limited hours and it will also be open for special occasions, seeing that winter is coming and Ohio Street will not be very busy. But come spring and summer, the restaurant (name to be announced) will be fully operational for lunch and dinner (most likely) – that is the plan for right now, but we haven’t put all of the details together yet. We’re still working on how it will play out, and the response will dictate future days and hours, which may be seasonal to start. Wait until you see the place – it will have so many historic elements on the inside, from the lighting to photographs.”
Before winding down the conversation, Peg had one bit of advice for anyone looking to buy property in the Old First Ward. “It’s OK to buy it,” she told me. “But don’t sit on it! I want to live to see the day that all of the properties are taken care of – people who are speculating and buying properties, and then don’t cut the grass or fix the places up… it’s not what we want to see here at all.”