Storefront Afterlife

Map: Nicholas Sapone, Mark Yaxis, Bixuan Zhang.

Published February 7, 2023

Buffalo’s East Side has provided students with examples of successful revitalization projects for inspiration, such as the Broadway Market and the Buffalo Central Terminal. However, there are many other instances where storefront revitalization has not seen the same favorable outcome.

Students within this environmental design studio investigated how the designers’ typical visions of "Main Street'' are not always applicable, at times morphing into something that has required radical change. Following site investigations, students found that vibrant storefronts no longer fill every lot along pedestrian walkways. Typologies like residential, office spaces, and small manufacturing corporations have begun to occupy abandoned storefronts. This course challenged students to examine Buffalo’s Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood in detail and to assess the local conditions. By exploring what may have caused the disinvestment or the current state of the commercial and economic environment, students developed proposals where design could be implemented to change the narrative of the neighborhood.

Within the report, students studied the past, present and future outlook of storefronts within the Broadway-Fillmore district through the people, economy, and landscape of the neighborhood. In the second phase of the course, students proposed new post-retail uses for storefronts, which were chosen through a neighborhood survey. Some of these proposals included dwellings, maker - spaces, business incubators, libraries, and educational centers.

The storefront structure and typology can be an important method to invest in the revitalization of Buffalo’s East Side communities. By understanding where building improvements can be made, and prioritizing investment, the students suggested how the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood can spark positive change. The students' report uncovered just how much space is available for the community to become a center for not only residential, but also employment, commerce, and entertainment.

Students
Shania Julia Anunciacion, Ruth Bonnette, Jean Bravo, Isaac Bravo, Sean Brunstein, Cameron Carver, Jeremy Charles, Cortlandt Chin, Leslie General, Allison Gomez, Lisha Chouhan, Patrick Delgobbo, Xiyan Ding, Ruiyan Guo, Yunchao Han, Andrea Harder, Zachary Lee, Katie Lewis, Samantha Mambrino, Yoshifumi Oka, Anthony Pineda, David Pulliam, Brandon Rosas, Nicholas Sapone, Katie Scott, Letao Shen, Becky Szeto, Omar Tantawy, Staci Tubiolo, Peter Uruchima, Devyn Walker, Mark Yaxis, Bixuan Zhan

TA
Micaela Lipman

Faculty
Conrad Kickert

Term
END 460, Spring 2021   

Program
BAED