- Biography
- I am a Design Draftsman which is normally received with a blank stare when asked “what do you do for a living” and I have always thought that if I had become an Architect the same question would have been met with expressions of admiration.
As opposed to most “Architects” I can look beyond the grime and neglect and actually see the potential that any building has to offer but because I do not carry the awe-factor that an Architect carries I am often over-looked or dismissed entirely.
Being a Design Draftsman and, notably, one from an industrial background; I am more than qualified to judge the structural and aesthetic qualities of a building. I would have made a perfect building inspector for the City of Buffalo.
Tenacious but tactful and certainly not one to over-look the benefit of having a real estate developer as-like Rocco Termini NOT thwarted in his attempts to save architecturally significant buildings. I have learned a long time ago that you need to work with people and not against them; have I clashed? Certainly, because the proverbial asshole is around every corner and they are routinely the ones who seem to have a point to prove normally to justify their existence.
My ultimate goal would be to play a proactive role in the resurrection of the HH Richardson Complex but I suspect that if and when that day dawns; my ideas and concepts will be dismissed by those whose real intentions are to make a name for themselves or to add another line to their resume.
Several years ago the Buffalo News featured a full page editorial about the gentlemen who suggest the location for the new Niagara Falls High School; I laughed my ass off.
Here was a nice, normal, family man with absolutely no design or construction background and he was featured in an exclusive interview; not anyone from the engineering house who designed the building or the construction company or even the crew just some clown who suggested an idea.
I once overhead a manager state that “everything today is based on perception” and I have never forgotten that statement; this same statement is also applicable to those of us who have made a career out of our ideas, concepts and realities with little to no recognition.
Perhaps, someday, those of us who truly care about adaptive reuse will be listened too....
- Last Login
- on 20/11/08
- User Rating
- 3.21 (70 votes)
- Interests:
- The resurrection of Buffalo...
- Favorite Movies:
- All film genre...
- Favorite Music:
- Wide expanse, though rap and country western may be a stretch...
- Favorite Books:
- Where do I begin....
's Comments
Richardson Park Proposal to be Unveiled Monday
This is wonderful news and perhaps a catalyst for breathing life back into the surrounding area. I do know that there are several plans being considered and one did include the demolition of the Strozzi Building and rebuilding the three male pavili…
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Cathedrals of Industry
Located in one of the many industrial buildings that once housed Union Carbide’s greatest enterprises is a 140,000 ton press that has sat idle since Union Carbide’s departure from the landscape of Niagara Falls in 1979. Originally built and …
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Real Estate Reincarnation
Interesting collection of comments and you can really separate the true city dwellers from the suburbanites and the shit disturbers; though, the shit disturbers do tend to keep the blogging interesting and often, fiery! Certainly not everyone is…
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Then and Now: Hamilton Ward House lives!
I have been watching the progress of this renovation and can only marvel at the transformation that has taken place with the Hamilton Ward House. However, what is the eventual outcome of this newly renovated house? I would like to think that the…
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