Site updated; New information added on 5/13/08: The last of the great Buffalo Department Stores (See Below); Inside the Sattler Theater (See Below); Purchase tickets now for all NEW Forgotten Buffalo Tours (See Below)
EAT... DRINK... & LAUGH... THROUGH BUFFALO HISTORY!
Click image to learn more about ForgottenBuffalo Tours
FORMER DEPARTMENT STORE ART MODERNE STAIRCASE REVEALED AFTER 40 YEARS
Click image above to see more picture and learn about the Eckardt Department Store buidling
The caretaker of the vacant Eckhardt’s/Kobacker’s Department Store building has recently uncovered a spectacular art moderne style staircase. Sealed from public view since the late1970s, the steps are glimpse into a lost era of Buffalo retail. The Eckhardt’s/Kobacker’s Department Store at 950 Broadway (1940, Bley & Lyman, architects) is architecturally significant as an excellent example of a largely-intact, early Art Moderne retail building. Designed by local firm Bley & Lyman for John H. Eckhardt, this sleek building is one of the most significant early Modern buildings surviving in Buffalo. Click image to learn more about this forgotten Buffalo building.
CURRENT FORGOTTEN BUFFALO TOURS: Secret Societies and Private Clubs
Forgotten Buffalo Tours: Urban Explorers visited the Corpus Christi Bowling Alleys on April 26 as part of the Secret Societies and Private Club tour. Click image for more tour pictures.
Forgotten Buffalo Tours: Urban Explorers visited the CPO Club on May 8th as part of the Secret Societies and Private Club tour. Click image for more tour pictures.
GO INSIDE THE SATTLER THEATER
Click image above to see pictures from INSIDE the Sattler Theater
New life is being projected for a run-down former movie theater on the East Side noted for its glazed terra-cotta facade. A group of black media professionals has purchased the former Sattler Theatre, 512-516 Broadway, one mile east of Main Street, to serve as its headquarters and presentation space. The nonprofit group paid $40,000 to acquire the building from God’s Holy Temple and will seek to raise more than $1 million for its restoration, according to Michael Quinniey, chairman of Western New York Minority Media Professionals. The theater, near Jefferson Avenue, opened in 1914 as a 928-seat movie theater at a cost of $35,000 on the site of the wood-frame Casino Theatre. Click image to see interior pictures.
Vintage Pictures of Big Joe's Tavern
Big Joe's Tavern Forever - Click image to learn more
It may not look like much anymore — just a small parking lot behind a green chain-link fence. But to thousands of theatergoers in Western New York and across the United States, 770 Seneca St. stands for something a lot bigger. To them, the patch of earth on the once-bustling East Side symbolizes Buffalo itself — hardworking, shirtsleeve, blue-collar Buffalo of the 1950s, full of men who knocked back a few beers after a long day at the factory and capable women who made the cole slaw scooped onto their fish fry plates, from scratch, every Friday. That’s the image of Buffalo that the play “Over the Tavern” sent out to the world. Now the site of the original “Over the Tavern” tavern has a brand-new historical marker all its own. (Click image to read more about Big Joe's Tavern and for vintage pictures)
Celebrate 50 years of the Bocce Club on the Eastside!
1958-2008: 50 years of Pizza on Buffalo's Eastside. Click image to learn more!
If I had my way, I'd shuffle off to Buffalo; Sit by the lake, and watch the world go by.
John Fogerty, 1985
Downtown Buffalo home of Flexlume Neon Company. A Buffalo tradition since 1904, this historic neon since dates from 1946. 1464 Main Street.
ForgottenBuffalo.com: An urban explorer's guide to the Buffalo-Niagara region. Learn about unique landmarks, classic taverns, old world neighborhoods, historic 20th century sites and Nickel City oddities!
Forgotten Buffalo hopes to provide visitors with an uniquely Buffalo experience. Visit sites that have been left behind, or perhaps clandestinely left in place, providing clues as to what was there before. In an age where life continually looks at renewing and reinventing itself every few decades, Forgotten Buffalo takes pride in the Niagara Frontier's triumphal past.
Look beyond predictable tourist sites...Discover treasures in historic neighborhoods with unique names like Polonia, Black Rock, Kaisertown and the First Ward. Tour relics from the regions mighty industrial past and strongholds of the American ethnic experience.
More than just a nostalgic trip through time, Forgotten Buffalo allows you to better understand why Buffalo is one of the most unique urban communities in the world. It's definitely a city worth exploring! Enjoy!
Buffalo, New York- Home to the largest collection of grain elevators in the world.
CURRENT FEATURES
Topping Tonight's Eyewitness News - Click image above to visit Irv, Rick & Tom!
LOST BUFFALO: Buffalo's Last Roundhouse, CLICK IMAGE ABOVE
FORGOTTEN BUFFALO: The Historic Broadway Market. CLICK IMAGE ABOVE
CLASSIC TAVERNS: Annual Award Winners. CLICK IMAGE ABOVE
LOST BUFFALO: Tondrowski's Shoe Store, CLICK IMAGE ABOVE
POLONIA DISTRICT: St. Adalbert's Basilica to Close, CLICK IMAGE ABOVE
FORGOTTEN BUFFALO: Last Flix Shown at Buffalo Drive-In, CLICK IMAGE ABOVE
Tour Historic Buffalo Irish Pubs! Click image above
CLASSIC AUDIO: Click here to listen to a gem from Utica Club
POLONIA DISTRICT- Click here to learn about the Dyngus Day Parade
CLASSIC TAVERNS - Click to learn about Gene McCarthy's in Buffalo's First Ward
H-O Oats Complex in Buffalo's First Ward, Feb. 2005
This site includes:
HISTORIC POLONIA- Area of Buffalo that is most associated with the Polish Community. Historically the neighborhood centers around St. Stanislaus B.M. Church and the intersection of Broadway/Fillmore. The Broadway Market, The Buffalo Central Terminal and many towering churches can be found.
LOST BUFFALO- In this era of "big box" stores and strip malls, many corner stores and businesses lasted well into the new millennium. Each had its own unique charm, character and friendly face behind the counter. From 1996 to 2004, I was able to capture images of some of the last well-known family owned and operated business that dotted the city's neighborhoods. I have also expanded this section to include other "lost" sites of life in Western New York such as AM&A's Department Store and Crystal Beach Amusement Park. New additions also include information on the DL&W Terminal and the H-O Oats milling complex.
CLASSIC PUBS- My search for the most authentic watering holes in the world. This page is not meant to glorify the consumption of alcohol, but to look back at a time when the corner pub or tavern was a vital part of many neighborhoods. No techno music or cover charges here.....Pull up a stool, order a "Genny" and chat about what's happening with the Holy Name bowling team.
BUFFALO BROADCASTING- Do you remember Commander Tom & Rocketship 7? Did you watch WGR-TV (WGRZ) Ch.2? Enjoy a peak into my archive of Buffalo radio and television history. Also visit my tribute website to Buffalo's Father of Rock & Roll, George Hound Dog Lorenz at www.GeorgeLorenz.com.
FAMILY - Connecting with the global "Biniasz" family. If you are a "Biniasz or Biniarz" visiting this site for this first time, please contact me as I am in the process of documenting the history of our family in Poland and the United States.
DYNGUS DAY - No other city celebrates Dyngus Day like Buffalo, NY! Prepare to polka! See a complete listing of 2007 events, learn about the tradition and why Western New York is the Dyngus Capital of America! Now its own site...visit www.DyngusDayBuffalo.com.
FEATURES - I surprise myself on experiences, events, places and people I run across. Updated features include "Buffalo in the 70s" celebrating the Club 747, purchasing Bastad Clogs in Fort Erie and watching the "new" Buffalo Sabres. Also, learn about homes built by the Ray H. Bennett Lumber Co. of North Tonawanda. Check back often as this page will be updated frequently.
Witam! Nazywam sie Martin Biniasz. Mieszkam w Buffalo, stan Nowy Jork, niedaleko Wodospadu Niagara Falls i granicy z Kanada. Chciabym na tej stronie pokazac zycie Polonii w Buffalo jak rowniez przedstawic informacje na temat rodziny BINIASZ. Obecnie zbieram material o pochodzeniu moich przodkow z Polski, ktorzy przyjechali do Ameryki w latach 1880 - 1910. Jesli posiadasz jakiekolwiek informacje o rodzinach : Biniasz, Biniarz, Lipinski, Kozurkiewicz lub Kolodziej, bardzo prosze napisz do mnie pod adres: ForgottenBuffalo@aol.com. W przyszlosci, bede tu zamieszczac informacje pomagajace innym ludziom w poszukiwaniu korzeni przodkow w Polsce. Dziekuje bardzo.
Grüße und vielen Dank zum Besuch bei meinem Website. Ich möchte mit jemandem um die Welt korrespondieren, wer das Familiennamen "Biniasz" teilt. Ich wohne zurzeit in Buffalo im Staat New-York in den USA. Buffalo befindet sich in der Nähe der Kanadagrenze, etwa 40 km von der Stürze Niagara entfernt. Wenn Sie irgendeine genealogischen Informationemn teilen möchte, bitte schicken Sie es mir durch E-mail an ForgottenBuffalo@aol.com. Es wird sehr aufgewertet werden, und ich freue mich darauf, von Ihnen zu hören.
Salut! Merci d'avoir visité mon site. Je m'intéresse à communiquer avec celles personnes autour du monde dont les familles s'appellent Biniasz. Mes aïeux ont immigré aux Etats-Unis entre les années 1880 et 1909. J'habite actuellement à Buffalo, New York, ce qui se situe tout près de la frontière canadienne environ 40 km de la chute Niagara. J'en serais appréciatif si vous auriez des renseignements généalogiques à partager. Prière de me toucher à ForgottenBuffalo@aol.com. Je tiens beaucoup à faire votre connaissance.
Another Forgotten Buffalo approved website. Visit Steve Cichon's StaffAnnouncer.com to purchase unique Buffalo t-shirts, historical radio recordings and more!
Click image above to visit official website of the Buffalo CVB
