Successful (and Packed!) Opening of Shoreline Exhibit in Buffalo

SHORELINE: Remembering a Waterfront Vision

An exhibit featuring Paul Rudolph’s Shoreline Apartments - presented in partnership with the Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation - opened in Buffalo last Friday. Shoreline is a development in the heart of downtown Buffalo—and would have included housing for various income levels, extensive community facilities, and a boat marina along the city’s lakeside edge—all planned and designed by Paul Rudolph—but only a portion of the proposed project was built.

The exhibit, at El Museo—which traces the erosion of an architectural, urban, and social vision for Buffalo’s waterfront—opened to a packed group of enthusiastic attendees.

Below are pictures from the exhibit’s preparation, opening, and of the some of the images and objects which are on-view—including a collection of impressive drawings, by Paul Rudolph, which convey his vision for the project.

NOTE: Further information about the exhibit (including location and hours) is at the bottom of this post.

Three key players: [left-to-right] Cheng Yang “Bryan” Lee, the museum’s curator; Liz Waytkus, Executive Director of DOCOMOMO US, and Barbara Campagna, leading preservationist—and co-curator of the exhibit. Photo by Joanne Campagna. [Photo by Barbara Campagna]

Two of the drawings that were put on display in the exhibition:

ABOVE: One of Paul Rudolph’s perspective renderings of the project, showing a near-street-level view of a line of the brick townhouses, along with the radially planned parking adjacent to the residence.

BELOW: Rudoph’s site plan drawing, showing his overall disposition of the townhouses, parking, and green areas in one section of the development.

Paul Rudolph’s work is © The Estate of Paul Rudolph, The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation.

William Vogel, El Museo’s executive director, works on the exhibit’s signage. [Photo by Barbara Campagna]

The venue for the exhibit: El Museo in Buffalo—and the public is welcome! [Photo by Barbara Campagna]

A view from the back of the exhibit space, looking towards the entrance—with attendees carefully studying the displayed materials. [Photo by Barbara Campagna.]

One of the numerous—and impressively large and detailed—drawings which Paul Rudolph created for the project. At the top is laid out the portion of the housing that was built. In the center is shown the boat marina—and the buildings that were to surround it: a mixture of housing of various heights, as well as community facilities. © The Estate of Paul Rudolph, The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation.

Barbara Campagna reported that it was a “Jam packed museum exhibit opening…”—and the photos testify the same. [Photo by Barbara Campagna]

More of Paul Rudolph’s drawings, as displayed on the exhibit’s walls—and in the foreground is one of Kurt Treeby’s architecturally-focused artworks. [Photo by Barbara Campagna]

A full view of one of the drawings shown in the above exhibit installation photo. Rudolph was a master perspectivist, and this is his overall rendering of the project. In the middle is the boat marina, from which multi-story apartment houses radiate. In he foreground (at the bottom of the drawing) are townhouses that line the outer edge of the peninsula that surrounds the marina. Just visible, at the top-right, is the portion of the housing that was constructed. © The Estate of Paul Rudolph, The Paul Rudolph Heritage Foundation.

Bryan Lee, the exhibit’s co-curator (far left), gives an overview of the Shorline project and exhibit. [Photo by Barbara Campagna]

In addition to drawings and artworks, photos of were included—including of its littlest residents, as well as interiors—and this gave a sense of life in Shoreline. [Photo by Barbara Campagna]

Included in the exhibit were examples of Kurt Treeby’s artwork. Here he bases one on a portion of a row of Shoreline’s Rudolph-designed townhouse. The tissue-boxification is Treeby’s commentary our our society’s throwaway attitude to our architectural heritage. For more on Treeby’s work—and to see further examples of his work in this mode—see our blog post about him. [Photo by Barbara Campagna]

Kurt Treeby—the artist with one of his works. [Photo by Barbara Campagna]

Shoreline—under construction.

Shoreline—built, occupied, and the plantings already coming in. Phase One occupies the center of the photo. You can see a portion of the further construction of project (Phase Two) in the upper-left corner.

A artifact of Buffalo’s history—and of the aspiration to use architecture to make better lives. [Photo from a post by Barbara Campagna]

SHORELINE: Remembering A Waterfront Vision

EXHIBIT VISIT & cONTACT INFORMATION

DATES:

The exhibit is open from October 4 to November 16, 2019

PUBLIC SYMPOSIUM:

A public symposium on October 25–26 will convene architects, urban planners, preservationists, and researchers to discuss Paul Rudolph’s design legacy in Buffalo and New York State, the social legacy of urban renewal and modernism, and preservation efforts surrounding these sites and structures. This event will take place at the Earl W. Brydges (Central) Library in Niagara Falls and at the Frank E. Merriweather (Jefferson) Library in Buffalo.

PUBLICATION:

El Museo has announced that a publication will bring together images, essays, and other findings from the project to tell the varied histories of the Shoreline Apartments—and the book will be published later this year.

LOCATION:

EL MUSEO 91 Allen Street, Buffalo, NY   14202

HOURS:

Wednesdays–Fridays: 12–6pm
Saturdays: 1–5pm
First Fridays: 7–9pm
and by appointment (please call or email)

ADMISSION:

Admission is free—but If you like what they do, help support their work.

TRANSPORTATION:

El Museo is accessible by NFTA Metro Rail (5-minute walk from Allen/Medical Campus Station) and Metro Bus routes 8 Main, 11 Colvin, 20 Elmwood, and 25 Delaware. Limited service on routes 7, 29, 64, 66, 67, and 69. Metered parking is available on Allen Street and Delaware Avenue.
NFTA Metro
Google Maps directions

CONTACT INFORMATION:

• website: http://www.elmuseobuffalo.org

• exhibit web page: http://www.elmuseobuffalo.org/exhibitions/shoreline-remembering-a-waterfront-vision-1/

• phone: (716) 464-4692

• email: info@elmuseobuffalo.org