Gold Medal Grain Elevators

I just have to say that everyone who enjoys Cheerios must attend this tour sometime. The smell of roasted oats fills the air down on the inner harbor. This has been my favorite tour so far. The history of the Erie canal downtown and its impact on shaping society is mind blowing when you realize how big the impact was. If the Erie Canal does not come to Buffalo, the people and culture do not come either. It is sad to see how the canal was abandoned and filled in but the current efforts to renovate and excavate are wonderful. The rest of the tour focused on the impact of grain movement in shaping this area. Two separate  canals were dug just to accommodate more barges transporting grain. The grain elevators lining these canals are a testament  to man's innovation. When the work load placed upon Irish backs became to much a burden and too costly man turned to technology. The grain elevators were designed as means of storing grain for loading and unloading of barges. The elevators in Buffalo were the skyscrapers of their time and people flocked from all over the world to see them. Tragically, the combination of grain dust and coal fired burners led to many fires that destroyed the towers.

General Mills is one of the few large factories still operating in Buffalo. There plant sits right on the island created by the two canals. This was a prime location for unloading of grain ships. Today they only receive ships a couple times a year. The most tragic part of the tour came when we talked about the Great Northern Elevator which is a truly unique piece of architecture that is going to shambles.

Sightseeing European Style

The differences between the tours that Americans take to Europe and those that Europeans take here are noticeable when examined. I noticed this a couple years ago while visiting Italy. My tour lasted 14 days and covered the entire country. A couple days in Venice, Florance, Rome, Sorrento, among other small towns. When an american tours they focus on ancient cities and areas of high cultural importance such as museums and archeological sites. European cities offer the distinct historical feel that American tourists long for. Italy attracts tourists looking to see architecture, art, and culinary examples. While I was travelling I had the chance to experience all these things. I visited the Coliseum

saw the statue of David and the Sistine Chapel 

The big difference between sightseeing tours in Europe and those offered by European travel agencies to the United States is that Europeans want to see primarily one city and all it has to offer. In addition to the single city approach to sightseeing is the addition of small local attractions that society offers. This is evident in one tour I found for Boston. The tour lasts 8 days and includes day trips to Salem and two days to visit Maine. I realize that this is a stretch from my overall opinion but it shows that Europeans want to see major attractions as well as simple small novelties.   Some other tours are surprisingly lengthy in my opinion, some are 21 days and include visits to many major cities but only for a couple days. In this regard they become similar to how Americans choose to go sightseeing. I feel that Europeans see the US as a great open landscape with metropolitan clusters. They see the US as having unspoiled landscapes and beautiful natural wonders. I can see where these notions develop from but don't feel that they are completely accurate. I ultimately get the impression that they come here to get away from over developed old cities and to visit more modern cities and see the sight that they hear about here. This is in a way the same as American tourist, we go to see sights that guide books point out or have heard about since we were young. This is why many tour companies offer nearly identical tours.

http://www.tourvacationstogo.com/usa_tours.cfm?npid=21933&nhr=1

Black Rock

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This tour was one of my favorites, the community history as well as the rich historical impact on the state. I loved looking at he classic housing styles of the neighborhood. Most of the homes in the neighborhood have been covered by siding but some still shows there federalist style. The Black Rock area was at one point larger than Buffalo and only was eclipsed by the opening of the Erie Canal. When planning for the canal was taking place there was a competition between Buffalo and Black Rock to be the terminus of the canal. Black Rock actually blew up the large "black rock" jetty that gave the city its name. Buffalo was awarded the honor due to the large existing port structure. I also found it interesting that Black Rock built their own canal that ran parallel to the Erie Canal. 

My favorite building on the tour was an old Water Works building that housed a Masonic Temple, the neat part was that the back wall of the temple opened out over the canals. The local business men could meet in the temple and check on business on the canal. I was unaware of the battles that took place in Black Rock during the War of 1812 and also Fenian's Raid.  

Religious Center

Urban Panoramas of Florance, Italy and Chicago, IL

Panorama of Florance Italy

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

The metropolitan area of Florance has over 1.5 million people residing within it. The city has deep roots in the Renaissance era and with that said much of the architecture is evident of this. The city developed in a concentric zone model originating in a large open market near the great cathedral seen to the right side of photo and below.  The city expands outward towards the river and creatively built bridges that housed shops as well as homes. The number of shops shows evidence that the city developed as a result of trade and commerce.This example of a European metropolis shows what I believe to be the key features that characterize these cities. It developed in rings, religion is at the center of development throughout history, uses natural features to create city limits.

Chicago

Panorama of Chicago

The city of Chicago developed for the same reason as Florance, trade and commerce, but in a very different fashion. Chicago grew rapidly both outward and upward. The city follows "Chicago" school of development and in sector model. The city centers on a central business district with residences and commercial buildings being separated. The CBD is recognizable by the large cluster of skyscrapers. The panorama of Chicago shows its spread across the landscape.

While both metropolises grew from small trade centers into booming centers of commerce in their pasts, Chicago is much more actively growing today.  The city of Florence already boomed and now flourishes not as a center of trade but by displaying the arts to the world. Both cities grew within or around natural boundaries. The largest difference that I see is that while Florance is developed there are no building taller than the Church while in Chicago there are multiple tall buildings. Also, there are not noticeable housing areas in the Chicago illustration but Florance is mostly residential with shops below.

Ethnic landscape of Olean and my travels

The City of Olean offers examples of mixtures of ethnic landscapes. There are ethnic neighborhoods that exist but with out a strong first generation influence of shaping the community. There are remnants of a "little italy" on the north side of town. Every summer the residents of this neighborhood hold the Italian Festival consisting of "authentic" food, dance, art, and of course bocce. The southern areas of the city were settled by the Irish and Germans. There is a cemetery that is heavily influenced by German heritage. I feel the Irish settled here as a result of the railroad expanding through this area. The railroad played a large role in shaping much of the city landscape in my opinion. In the small time frame that is my life the city of Olean has lost much of ethnic landscape as a result neglect to preserve history and the decline of a working population to support the local economy. Talking to my grandparents about the different neighborhoods I found  out that there were many different ethnic restaurants in each neighborhood. The surrounding area has many ethnic influences also. The Cuba, NY area has a large Amish population with farm houses and beautiful barns. There are also a couple German stone homes influenced by the building techniques of  the homelands.

Germanic Stone influences of County Building

In my travels I have had the privilege of visiting many different cultural landscapes here in the United States as well as abroad. The Black Rock district of Buffalo offers some excellent examples of German and Polish architecture. I found it intriguing that on almost every corner there was a bar, a church and a general store or  business. Jamestown,NY has a wonderful Swedish bakery and neighborhood. This bakery is one of only a few in WNY. Moving westward there are the the Mormon settlements of the Salt Lake City area. The mormon  influence is interesting on multiple levels. The Church dictates daily activity and social interaction but the religion and customs influence the settlements of the area. An unknown, at least to a casual observer, is the use of a star on buildings belonging to Later Day Saints and the surreal number of churches that seem to pop up all over the landscape. Also, there is a little bronze plaque that marks the ally that once housed the Chinatown that used to flourish in the city.  I am looking forward to exploring the city of Salt Lake better very soon. I want to apply what i have learned in this class and a better understanding of the urban landscape to explore the built environment. 

Mormon Temple