It’s hard to believe that a building such as the Crescendo was hiding in plain sight all of these years. Whether passing by on Niagara Street, or along the I-190, it was always one of those buildings where you averted your eyes due to the decrepit looking nature of the skyline that was dominated by this hulking monstrosity. The building was so oppressive that it essentially spoke for the future of the rest of the street, and the surrounding neighborhood. It spoke of missed opportunities, industrial losses, poor planning decisions, and abandoned hope.
Incredibly, after so many years of sitting fallow, this building’s time to shine is now. The windows are being installed at a fast clip, and soon the mixed use building will become a symbol for everything that Buffalo once was, and will be again. The Crescendo will be visible from the Niagara River and the Canadian side, incredibly enough. It’s going to help to signal the rebirth of Niagara Street, which was always the end goal for West Side grassroots development/rebirth efforts that started at Richmond Avenue many years ago. The thought was, start by investing street by street, heading west towards Niagara Street – and one day we will reach the river!
Now, the river has been reached. Properties along Niagara Street are changing hands. Streets that run between Niagara and Grant are desirable. Artists, refugees, teachers, developers are all contributing to the rebuilding that is now starting to sweep eastward from Niagara Street. There is a buzz similar to what we first saw (many moons ago) when people first started to eye the West Side (west of Richmond Avenue).
When the Niagara Street infrastructure is complete, with bike lanes, park benches, etc., Crescendo will act as a beacon for the all to see. It’s times like this… developments like this… that get me excited about the possibilities for Buffalo that are just now being realized.
See the history and plans for The Crescendo.