Bills, Wings…Grain Elevators?
sillylittleamy, a friend of ours with an insatiable thirst for history (local and otherwise) has an awesome blog entry for us to post. Look for more from Amy in the coming weeks and months, exploring areas of our locale that you may know about, some you may not, and all the gaps in between. Enjoy what Amy has to say about our beloved grain elevators (they just can’t get away from us, those elevators) and look forward to more entries from our sillylittleamy.
Buffalonians are well known for exhibiting often outrageous amounts of local pride, whether it be for the Sabres, Bills, or chicken wings. Sports and snacks, however, are not all the Queen City has to boast about. Buffalo can also find its 30-plus grain elevators to be a source of pride.
I know what you’re thinking.
“Grain elevators? You mean those eyesores along the waterfront?”
Grain elevators were invented locally in 1842, by Joseph Dart, and were designed to move grain directly from ships to silos. Essentially, these structures played a monumental role in making Buffalo a key player in commerce. For the first half of the 20th century, Buffalo had the nation’s largest capacity for the storage of grain and the industrial grandeur of the Elevators inspired modernist architects, such as Le Corbusier.
Eventually with the development of the Welland Canal and the Saint Lawrence Seaway Buffalo ports could by bypassed, and currently only a few of the Grain Elevators are in use by General Mills and an Ethanol Plant.
What I am trying to get at is that these Grain Elevators are in fact not an eyesore, but an excellent example of industry, ingenuity and modern design which was unfortunately left behind. As someone who had gotten up close and personal with the Elevators, I can assure at the very least its recent graffiti can be hilarious.
The Industrial Heritage Committee is currently getting ready for their annual tours of the Grain Elevators. During the Historical Buffalo River Tour, one gets the opportunity to boat down the Buffalo River and learn more on a guided tour.
One more tour will be offered on August 17 from 12:30-2:30 p.m.. To join the IHC for their 23rd season of tours, call (716) 856-6696 or go here for more information.
Image courtesy this guy.
Posted by on 07/23 at 02:26 PM
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