Niagara Square & QB1 - October

For me, one of the best parts of my photography journey has been the discoveries I have made in my hometown. I don’t mean that the images I capture are of places that I have never seen before, but rather a deeper appreciation for the incredible places and spaces that make up Western New
York – including parks, the waterfront and of course the architecture. 

Buffalo is considered by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to be a comprehensive "master class" in American design. And speaking of design, the city itself was designed by Joseph Ellicott, with the central hub of Niagara Square leading to Delaware Avenue, Court Street, Genesee Street, and Niagara Street. It is a beautiful piece of Buffalo, and it is one of the very first places I went after I purchased my first DSLR camera.

Fast forward 119 years from Ellicott’s original street design (1804), and the Statler Buffalo opened on the edge of Niagara Square (1923). The Statler was the height of luxury of its day, and numerous dignitaries and celebrities graced its doorways, including President John F. Kennedy Jr., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Elvis Presley, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Al Capone, and Buffalo Sabre Tim Horton.

The Statler has come to life again in recent years, but 101 years after its opening there was another reason for excitement around the grand building – Gatorade purchased space for a 30-day display of Buffalo’s largest celebrity of the day, QB1 Josh Allen.

Social media was buzzing about the “billboard,” with locals flocking to Niagara Square to see the oversized poster featuring Allen, dripping blue sweat, and his eyes peering over Ellicott’s Niagara Square like Dr. T. J. Eckleburg (IYKYK).

There was some talk about a lack of proper permits to hang the poster, but that was all settled and Allen held his advertising spot in Buffalo – but the one-month placement passed quickly, and by late October the much larger-than-life Josh Allen was gone.

While it was amazing to see, and you could view it from a lot of places, we are still lucky enough to continue to be graced by the central hub of Joseph Ellicott’s original radial street pattern known as Niagara Square.

Enjoy!

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