Exploring Buffalo, NY | Abandoned Locations, Dark Tourism & Frank Lloyd Wright 

When I was a kid in New York City, back around 73, I loved listening to the radio late at night. Just after midnight, the local radio station that I would listen to would go off the air. It was at the top of the am dial. That's when stations from other cities and states barely became audible, some kind of atmospheric phenomenon. There was a station from Cleveland, but then there was WKBW from Buffalo. Man did I love that radio station, I'd listen late at night through NYC heat waves and I listened through Buffalo's big lake effect blizzards, and I would fantasize being there. To this day, I find myself captivated by Buffalo and Western New York. It's like I belong there, almost like I was a citizen there in my previous life. I've been to Niagara Falls and Toronto by train, only passing through Buffalo. Ray Charles has a song in it he sings, "Georgia. . . Georgia on my mind". I'm going to do my best to be there this upcoming Oktoberfest! I have to see the HH Richardson complex, it's on my bucket list.

Im a native of WNY. I believe that the narrative of decay and desolation was true 10+ years ago. I moved away in the early 90s and returned in the early naughts .....the city and region has turned a corner and is actually thriving. The 2020 census is the first since 1950 to show a population increase. Buffalo's East side is the last area of the city to attract the attention of developers. Unlike the other parts of the city that retained structures, most of the east side has been lost. As far as "dangerous" neighborhoods, Buffalo's violent crime rate is in reality very low compared to large old cities like St Louis, Detroit and Cleveland. Buffalo was so poor it couldn't afford to tear down it's old buildings like Central Terminal. Happily, Buffalo has an incredible collection of late 19th and early 20th century architecture considered among the finest in the US. You should check out the Larkinville neighborhood not far from Central Terminal. It's the site of the lost Larkin Administration Building, another FLW masterpiece.

I wish you could have seen these neighborhoods 50 years ago, as I did first hand, before all the abandoned buildings, homes, and people moving away. Many of the empty fields on city streets, all over the city, you see had homes side by side, factories, and business's.....now all gone.....

You don't have to imagine how it smelled when the Wonder Bread factory was open because the General Mills factory still is and most of downtown smells like Cheerios.

Born and raised in Buffalo. We left in 78 after the blizzards of 77 and the coldest winter in 78 to Houston tx .I hope Buffalo can make a great turnaround.,Personally no regrets growing up there.Great memories

these terminals are incredible... really sad to see how far america has fallen.

Buffalo was the first planned city in the USA! the way the streets are laid out

Also, go to 184 Connecticut St and check out the NY Army National Guard Armory. I was in there after my active duty Army years. Also Masten Street Armory as well.

I went to elementary school across the road from Wonder Bread. It was called "Build Academy" 716

THIS is what I'm talking about! You should lead paid weekend tours for history and photography buffs. I have been to Buffalo several times for a job I had about 20 years ago, and always wanted to go back, for the specific purpose of photographing some of the old, abandoned, industrial history of the town, and ideally would like to have someone who knows there way around. A "Taste of Buffalo" sounds interesting, however, my preference, especially for my first trip, would be to visit between October and December. Great stuff!

That's on Paderuski drive near Coit St. Got chased by the BPD into the underground turnstile which was full of water and abandoned cars. They wouldn't come in after us, and we wouldn't come out! They finally left! Almost died from hypothermia, as we were up to our chests in water in February for over an hour. Could barely move when we finally escaped...all for exploring the building! This was in 1987-1988.

Where the light poles are it used to be project buildings three-story apartment like the ones at the end of Alabama st were u are heading on the side of I 90 thurway

Never forget Forest Lawn

Yes, nice job. Aside from the Wright house you definitely found the locations needed to support your narrative

I grew up in the suburbs of Buffalo. We moved out of the city in 1964. I left the area in 1983. I still visit my family back there. The city is transformed. The “bad” areas have shrunk by 80%. The Elmwood section and Allentown and other areas are nice. The Albright Gallery has been re-built and many factories have been converted into nice townhomes.

I'm surprised you didn't visit the Richardson Olmsted complex as an example of a formerly abandoned building that has had a lot of work done to rehabilitate it. Other examples are the Larkin Co. building and Silo City.

I remember when families lived in the Perry projects. I lived in the Glenny Drive projects that were torn down about 10 years ago.

U need to go to the Broadway Market,ur on the east side(Polish) Buffalo is big in meats!

Amazing how solid those brick project homes are (or were) and how expensive they would be even to rebuild as is. The new construction will most likely include lots of vinyl, aluminum and foam board instead.

The Perry Street projects were always a slum low, tenement housing

Frank Lloyd Wright and the city of Buffalo have a long history together. Buffalo is 2nd only to Chicago in the number of FLW designed buildings. In addition, the city has 180 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an architecturally significant city even beyond FLW's contributions to it. You hit a couple of the standouts in the Art Deco city hall and Central Terminal, but there's also "The Electric Tower" and The Richardson Olmstead Campus (H.H. Richardson Complex) which are both impressive in their own right.

I'm from Buffalo ny you're on the east side of Buffalo

Love the way that Americans seem to view the not so distant past. Here in England the past is seen as a much better time than the present - which I would argue as not being the case. In America you may not like the decay that is happening in your cities , but you are always positive that they can be improved.

They poured some $20M into the Darwin Martin House. I visited the house in 1980. When the University of Buffalo owned it and used it for an office space and for the house of the provost. After it was abandoned and stripped. It’s amazing now.

This is awesome keep up the great job appreciate the information and the stork meaning of keeping Buffalo alive and thriving great job appreciate❤🎉🎉❤

Thanks for coming to buffalo! Ur definitely not trying to sugar coat anything. Yeah, their are plenty of spots that are are rough around the edges. Not to mention social issues that are desperately in need of solutions. Buffalo is like a lot of cities facing these challenges. But there is something different about this place. Words like 'real', 'genuine', get tossed around - Something good is happening here. You know it when when you see it.

Love your video

Interesting... I found you on RU-vid with your Brownsville, PA video, as i had some family in the area, and lost track of what was happening there. I live in Buffalo and have lived here for the last 25+ years, and am an Architect. Boy did you just skim the surface here... Grain Elevators, Steel Mills, Psychiatric Hospitals oh MY. Frank Llyod Wright actually designed an office building for the Larkin Soap Company (that was torn down) but the warehouses are now a collection of Class A office spaces, and thriving little enclave within the East Side of Buffalo. Wright also has three other houses in the area, The Davison House, the Heath House, and Graycliff, all in association with the Larkin Soap Factory. Honestly you can spend a quarter of a century wondering around these streets and find out something new and cool. Buffalo is an onion of a city. Contrary to popular belief and the occasional blizzard the weather is great which contributes to an awesome quality of life. LIttle traffic, low cost of living, it is really New York States best kept secret...SHHH.

Спасибо! That was interesting!!!

I’m struggling a bit to understand the motivation of your video. You are correct that industry left (overseas)-MULTIPLE industries left. As of 2weeks ago fences have gone up around Perry to begin demolition. But you seem to imply that all these empty buildings should have been/be torn down right away/by now? Yet, the .01% of architecture you admired was also ALL at risk of the same fate at some point too. I don’t think you shared the SCALE of the vacancy. The population went from 500,000 down to 180K! Thousands of old houses and elderly folks remained-BOTH struggling to age in place on fixed or little income. I moved here in 2005 (military/southern roots) and I loved the low cost of living, international community, and all the natural wonders within a 1-3hr drive. In Buffalo, everything is just a 15-20min drive-from wealthy to poor, thriving to politically neglected; and the range between where folks are striving to maintain the character and memories of neighborhoods. There are many locals working very hard to protect historic buildings and neighborhoods while also fighting for green/sustainable improvements to quality of life. Next visit definitely buy a ticket to a few of the architectural gems and find me over at 212 Best St for a tour. SIDE NOTE: there is plenty of vandalism and graffiti inside Central Terminal & Perry projects that many artists have captured. Both sites are just much better monitored so the boards stay on and trespassing is more limited.

This was really a great little objective take on the city. Maybe not ironically, things tend to move glacially there. I remember writing a paper in college 35 years back, predicting that the Perry Projects would be torn down.

Paderuski Drive Train Station!

Limited but well done explore video of a very small portion of Buffalo. Hope that you return to the "Queen City" to tour the area after revitalization occurs and possibly extend your explore to other areas of the city. I subscribed. 👍

spent a summer in B. half a century ago. remember that hulking odd architecture. shotgun style homes and public swimming pools. thank-you.

Glad you liked the Central Terminal - if there's any way you can in touch with some people you know that would be interested in offering as much assistance as possible for the redevelopment of this terminal Would be greatly appreciated

The Old Insane Asylum is cool and is being restored as a hotel.

Mr. Martin, I grant that you said you were not an expert on Llyod Wright, that's fine; but I thought I might point out that only one mile in another direction, the's a seconf Wright house, and in less than a mile away from the Darwin D. Martin house, tgere is a third Wright house on Tillinghast street,(near the Buffalo zoo). You missed the world renowned AKG museum of modern art, which began in 1903, and located originally in an impeccable neo-classical marble building; but now has a third addition just recently opened. It received absolutely the highest regards from the art world from America to Europe. There are many other things here that those who never spent time here would have heard of. But, in general, the arts, music and culture scene in Buffalo rivals anything outside of NYC in the East. But, yes, her glory days before the Rust belt times are in the past; and you did mention that the city is pushing for a transition to a new version of itself. And that is correct Sir!😊

I'm commenting on the vacant Perry Projects. Yes it was an active community until the city FORCED the people, gentrify! Because of the Buffalo Sabres and there was the prospect of the Bills stadium being built down town. Where he walking now was called the middle, it was more row houses there. The Perry's have been vacant for over 10 years or more. That's not a parking looking over family dollar, the row houses in that area was called the middle.

Grew up in and around Buffalo, born in 72', went to Black rock Public School #51 for a time.

I hope they are trying to restore the terminal...I bet it looks cool inside Gentrification is what it is called. Those new living spaces will not be affordable for most in the area.

You can watch Ken Blocks Gymkhana video of him racing through and around the Central Terminal. It’s really something.

4:00 I used to go here alot since around the block was my old elementary school!

As a very young man, I was employed at the Farthing press on Oak street

Informative view of our city. You really missed a lot of the quality and depth of our city. Read your tour guides and come back and present a more in-depth perception of this foundation city in the development of our USA

That tower calls to you when you see it towering from blocks away. My hometown ❤. Haunted also, look up the ghost shows ;)

My parents took a train to Detroit to get married back in 1961.From central terminal. Yes they stayed married entire lives......

So, the Central Terminal is currently being discussed and going to be worked on and turned into hopefully a useful thing. It is going to be worked on and revitalized! Also, the Perry Projects are supposedly going to be knocked down, while saving a few of the budlings. That is in the works!

You should go and check out some videos on here from inside the terminal, it’s truly amazing. Also every single one of those streets you drove down with the empty lots everywhere those all were abandoned homes that were burned or torn down, a large amount of the vacant homes in that area have been torn down so it looks much better than it did in the 90’s and early 2000’s. Also you screwed up not going to the 1st ward and checking out all the abandoned grain silo’s, it was the largest collection of grain silos in the world although quite a few have been torn down but the massive ones still remain

The Old First Ward. Projects started at St. Vals and the library on the corner.

There is another Frank Lloyd Wright house on Tillinghast Pl, right by Nichols School not too far from the Darwin Martin house

You should of walked down there the tracks are still there

I live on that street Liddel you were on, you passed multiple crack houses 😭

Also it's nice hearing the crows in the video

I wish they would have put new Bills stadium @Central Terminal. Could have trains to game.offices for staff. Plenty of parking

come back in a year or 2 or 5 my prediction is that the city won't be fixing much in that block over time. i could be wrong but i doubt it

It’s more of a town than a city.

Buffalo looks a lot like Chicago.

My hometown. I hate what globalization did to this country.

Call HUD, Get urban renewal to rip them down!! Urban renewal made more parking lots out of places than anyone else!! This area maybe a toxic waste site!!

One time in the 90's I was up in buffalo with my family for one of my sisters swim meets. Ill always remember when my father was propositioned by a crackwhore with us all in the car LOL

Too bad you didnt get to see all the old grain silos!

HUD'S Urdan Renewal did more harm than good, in every place it went!!

It was supposed to go down and put the new Bills stadium in there

U should slow down and show the street signs so we know where u r at.?

I went to Fulton academy Grammer school

George Carlin said when you die, your soul goes to a garage in Buffalo. Do you know the location?

The gas electric are still On in all them house's there's quite a few homeless people living in in the few of them and I would be too I know what a living I was homeless heating electric why not community center is the other side of the family Dollar down Perry and Fulton there was quite a few building

Have them throw us a bone in Buffalo!!

You have no idea how awful bread smells once you've had to inhale it everyday for most of your life.

Most hunted place is buffalo NY never move there summer is nice but winters is worst 4 ft snow very bad winter 🥶

American city downtowns are depressing nowadays. So quiet and vacant when only 50 or 60 years ago you could barely move due to the volume of people and traffic. All this talk of "revitalization" is not impressing me as it cannot come close to when downtowns were originally "vital."

Are you showing Buffalo or yourself?

Not going to lie when you showed the white bag at the end, I know it's morbid, but I instantly thought dead body

Years ago I broke into that terminal and got a ton of goodies from there. It was beautiful on the inside and I explored every inch of it. So cool indeed

Back in the old days used to be a train station

Also I went to B.U.I.L.D Academy the school that is across the street from Wonder Bread. In the mornings it smelled like those dog biscuits cooking and it smelled like crap

Give it to DelMonte for free, buffalo needs jobs and tax money!! They are right next door!!

It looked like a ghost town….

Next time get a guide from Buffalo. I lived there for 25 years, and you missed the mark on everything.

Buffalo and Detroit are decaying, dying cities. No jobs, no good schools, healthcare, public transportation etc. Crimes, homelessness reign supreme.

Population decline.

60 or so years ago, Buffalo was an active, vibrant city with great manufacturing, research and development. The Great Lakes brought grain to the waterfront mills, During WW 2 Curtis-Wright Corp and Bell Aircraft both built figterplanes in and near the city. Earlier than WW2 the automobile facturys turned out high class cars. Central Terminal is another icon of architecture design to match Buffalo's City Hall. The city today is basically a sh*thole city with ultrapoor leadership and has been led by democrats for way too many generations and it shows is its decay. Not much to attract non-citizens except some unique architectural features. I was born and brought up 40 miles away, luckily.