DOWNTOWN
Preservation Board calls for saving facade of Aud
The Buffalo Preservation Board is urging that ornamental elements on Memorial Auditorium’s north facade be salvaged before the building is demolished.
John Laping, the board’s chairman, made the request in a letter to Charles Rosenow, president of Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. It singled out such building components as limestone panels with the lettering “Buffalo Memorial Auditorium,” carved human figures, spandrels and the City of Buffalo seal.
“It’s an important part of our history, and if you look at what was done with [War Memorial Stadium], this is no different,” Laping said. “Essentially, they saved that major facade for reuse.”
Like Memorial Auditorium, War Memorial Stadium was built by the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal agency. When the onetime home of the Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Bisons was demolished, a portion of the facade was retained for the site’s transformation into the Johnnie B. Wiley Amateur Athletic Sports Pavilion. The stadium was completed in 1937 and the Aud in 1940.
Rosenow said the request is being evaluated, adding that “some of these elements are noted in the transfer agreement between the Harbor Development Corp. and the city to be removed by us, with ownership retained by the city.”
“They are requesting additional elements, so we are pricing those out to see if they have any major impact, and inquiring from the city whether they have the space for storage.”
Laping said he has fond memories of taking his children to watch the Buffalo Sabres in the Aud, where the team played from 1970 to 1996, before moving to HSBC Arena. The Buffalo Braves — now the Los Angeles Clippers — played in the Aud from 1970 to 1978.
The Aud also was the venue for college basketball and numerous rock concerts, including Pink Floyd, The Who and the Grateful Dead.
Laping also asked for information about how salvaged materials would be stored, potential reuse options and the naming of a city official to coordinate the salvage operation.
Russell Pawlak, a board member, said saving “a sizable portion of the north facade” will help preserve the memory of the much-loved arena.
“This will allow for the meaningful reconfiguration of the facade that greeted legions of sports fans,” Pawlak said. “It will not only preserve these physical elements, but also the memories linked to that space and place that will soon be gone.”
The Buffalo Planning Board on July 15 approved a plan that will allow C&S Engineers to begin demolishing the Aud in October.
