Buffalo's rebuilt waterfront celebrates its watershed moment
Opening of Erie Canal Harbor raises hopes for renaissance in city
The politicians lined up along the “bowstring” pedestrian bridge under the nearly cloudless summer sky Wednesday afternoon, each carrying a little pail filled with a history-making brew of water from Gateway Harbor in North Tonawanda and the murky waters that flowed below their feet.
“And a one, two and three,” a voice boomed over a loudspeaker and the politicians, from Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown to Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, both D-N. Y., emptied their pails, christening the newly restored Erie Canal Harbor in downtown Buffalo.
A fake cannon boomed, sirens wailed and the Edward M. Cotter fireboat sprayed long plumes of water into the air.
It was a moment more than a decade in the making, one that many thought would never come — something had actually been built on the waterfront.
The newly renovated Commercial Slip includes the excavated remnants of the Erie Canal, made with many original stones, a replica of a period building that now houses the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park and a small waterfall.
Civic and business leaders hope the historic site will attract tourists and also spur development, including the Bass Pro Outdoor World store just a few yards away on the site of the soon-to-be-demolished Memorial Auditorium.
The water-dumping from the bridge and the hoopla that followed was an homage to the grand fanfare that marked the official opening of the Erie Canal 173 years ago.
On Oct. 26, 1825, then Gov. DeWitt Clinton famously scooped up two kegs of Lake Erie water that had flowed into Erie Canal and toted it along the entire 363-mile length of the canal down through the Hudson River and into New York Harbor. He dumped that water into the Atlantic Ocean.
It was dubbed the “Wedding of the Waters” and it touched off a new era. The Great Lakes were now connected to the Atlantic. And Buffalo was at the center of it all. The New York leaders who gathered for Wednesday’s opening ceremony each waxed poetic on how they hoped this reopening would signal a renaissance for Buffalo and Western New York.
“Today, we gather at this historic location to celebrate what several generations of Buffalonians have long desired: the development of arguably our city’s greatest asset — our waterfront,” Brown told the crowd of hundreds on hand for the cere - mony.
“We can finally proclaim that the 12-year, $53 million Erie Canal Harbor development project is finally complete,” he cheered, gesturing with his hands to coax audience members into applauding, which they obliged.
Schumer said he hoped the opening of the harbor “is a metaphor for all the good things to come for Buffalo and Western New York, that we’re turning the corner, and we are now going to see progress and victory after victory after victory in so many areas.”
Clinton, appreciative of the warm welcome the crowd gave her, reminded everyone how Gov. Clinton had been ridiculed for his grandiose plan to build the canal.
“People called it ‘Clinton’s Ditch,’ ” she said. “But the construction started and it continued. It took so many immigrant workers and so many leaders who never ever wavered. The local economy boomed. Commerce exploded, and Clinton’s Ditch became one of the greatest infrastructure achievements in the history of the world.”
Rep. Brian Higgins, who has championed the development of Buffalo’s waterfront, predicted “our community’s best days are immediately ahead of us.”
Largely left out of the day’s narrative was the concerted pressure by preservationists and County Executive Joel A. Giambra that led Gov. George
E. Pataki in October 2000 to call for a redesign on Erie Canal Harbor with more emphasis on the canal’s heritage.
More recently, a plan by Empire State Development Corp. to locate a massive Bass Pro store on the Central Wharf was thwarted by preservationists, leading to its placement on the nearby site where Memorial Auditorium is to be demolished.
In a gracious move, Lawrence Quinn, the vice chairman of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. acknowledged the many disagreements that had cropped up over the years. “Let’s face it: We had a little bit of disagreement along the way,” he said.
He also gave credit to the preservationists who had fought to keep the development group from paving over the remains of the old Commercial Slip for their role. “We do owe, despite that there are times we don’t agree, a debt of gratitude to the preservation community,” he said.
Those who came to watch the festivities weren’t quite as convinced as the politicians that the Commercial Slip would transform Buffalo.
“It’s a good start if they continue,” said Richard Cislo, 70, who happened upon the ceremony while on a day trip to downtown.
Penny Kennedy, 32, wasn’t quite so generous. “I thought: what are they making such a big deal about? . . . I could see if they had everything up there, that Bass Pro was already here and all the new stores that they’re trying to put up. Then maybe. But I didn’t see the big deal for today. I’d like to see more jobs [in downtown.] Better jobs.”
After leaving the Erie Canal Harbor dedication, Clinton got her first look at Artspace Buffalo Lofts, a project she championed and secured critical funding for, since it opened a year ago at 1219 Main St.
Clinton told The News she’s doing well after ending her grueling campaign for the presidency, and focusing on New York State.
“I feel great. It was an incredible experience. It was really an honor and privilege to be able to campaign across our country and go into so many different settings, and talk about my vision for America.”
Clinton noted the lofts have a waiting list of 424 and attracted artists from 20 states and Canada.
“I believe if we could replicate this project . . we could have 20 projects like this, we could have hundreds more people moving to downtown Buffalo and being part of the renaissance that’s going on here,” Clinton said.
News Staff Reporter Mark Sommer contributed to this report. mbecker@buffnews.com
