Buffalo's Broadway-Fillmore Neighborhood Is Making A Comeback [VIDEO]
Individuals, groups and organizations are working tirelessly to make Buffalo's Broadway-Fillmore District the Queen City's next comeback story.
Many believe that Buffalo's Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood's best days are yet to come.
The Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood is home to the Dyngus Day Parade, The Broadway Market and some of Buffalo's oldest churches, as well as treasured architectural landmarks like the Central Terminal.
The historic district is also Western New York's largest neighborhood. In fact, a 1940's Readers Digest feature named Buffalo's Broadway-Fillmore intersection the busiest in the entire State of New York - New York City's Time Square was the busiest intersection at that time.
But times have changed. According to the latest U.S. Census figures, Buffalo's population stands at about 259,000 residents - less than half of the 580,000 it had during the 1950's.
East Buffalo's Historic Polonia. Click to enlarge. Image credit: Broadway Fillmore Alive.
However, not all hope is lost. Sections of the Queen City are experiencing a renaissance, as hundreds of millions of dollars are being poured into downtown and the waterfront.
As the Queen City looks toward a more vibrant future, many individuals, groups and organizations are hard at work fighting to make the Broadway-Fillmore district Buffalo's comeback neighborhood.
Will Historic Polonia play a key role in the emerging story of the city's revival? I think so. Far from the hustle and bustle it experienced during the 1940's-1950's, the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood is positioning itself as the one to watch. Signs of life can be seen in and around where the second-busiest intersection in New York State once stood.
Now, thanks to WKBW-TV, you can watch a video giving us a brief history, and what lies ahead, for the historic Broadway-Fillmore district.
- For a detailed overview of the Broadway-Fillmore district, check out this narrative compiled by the Buffalo Architecture and History website.
- Maps of the Broadway-Fillmore Neighborhood
- Stay current and involved with Buffalo-Fillmore Alive - The online voice of East Buffalo's Historic Polonia.
- Concept proposal by Chris Jacobs.