Canalside - Completed Development Projects
Erie Canal Harbor Project – 2008
Now known as the “Historic Blocks” under the Canalside plan, the Erie Canal Harbor Project focused on the site of the historic 1825 western terminus of the Erie Canal, where the Commercial Slip connects to the Buffalo River. The effort involved years of discussion on how to best celebrate and interpret this history that was largely lost over a century of industrial development and decline. Prior to development, the Commercial Slip had been filled for 60-plus years and the site was largely covered with a surface parking lot created for the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, which features three decommissioned naval vessels moored along the Buffalo River that fully blocked any views of the water. The initial phase of the project relocated these ships downstream to a new inlet in Veterans Park, along with a full redesign of that park to display various monuments to local military service.
The project then shifted to a reconstruction of a segment of the Commercial Slip as a navigable waterway, along with interpretations of the city’s original “Central Wharf” as a new public space and esplanade (along with a floating dock system) and a Whipple Truss bridge that once crossed the Slip. It also reestablished a series of Medina sandstone cobblestone streets evoking portions of the site’s former street pattern. These features set the stage for a series of interpretative buildings and future development parcels to host new uses that celebrate the city’s Erie Canal heritage. This included interpretations of the Coit-McCutcheon Building to house the Naval & Military Park museum and, later, the Longshed (see below). Future development sites now form a “Great Lawn” that supports countless events but are expected to see progressive development for new neighborhood uses. Today, the Historic Blocks are home to the Queen City Bike Ferry, a seasonal, pedestrian/bicycle ferry service to the Outer Harbor; the Spirit of Buffalo, a schooner providing sailing excursion opportunities; and Buffalo Harbor Kayak and Buffalo Water Bikes, providing human-powered, waterborne transport options. This area is also home to the Liberty Hound and The Dish restaurants, providing sit-down casual and outdoor takeaway options, respectively.
Demolition of the Memorial Auditorium – 2009
After being vacant for nearly a decade, the former Memorial Auditorium (“Aud”) Block was acquired by ECHDC in 2008. ECHDC invested public funds to fully remediate/dispose of hazardous materials, abate/dispose of asbestos and to raze the building, relocate utilities, and prepare the site for future development. The Aud Block has been divided into multiple parcels reflecting the 19th century pattern that existed there in the early canal era, grouped along the northern and southern portions of the block (also known as “North Aud Block” and “South Aud Block”).
Canals/Ice at Canalside– 2014
These historically aligned, interpretive canals opened in 2014, matching the former routes and characteristics of the Erie Canal, Hamburg Canal, and the Commercial Slip, where they once merged in this location. Today, they are the aesthetic and recreational centerpieces of the Aud Block, accommodating New York State’s largest outdoor ice-skating rink in the winter and an attractive water feature in the summer that hosts pedal and paddle boats and outdoor patios. The $20 million project included construction of the canals, three pedestrian bridges, and 22,000 square feet of “towpaths” surrounding the canals to reinforce the pedestrian experience and allow for future development as Canalside grows.
East Canal – 2013
This $5.8 million state investment similarly interpreted the former Hamburg Canal, east of Main Street. The project created an outdoor public space that matches the former canal route, featuring a granite plaza, a shallow water feature, fountains, seating, lighting, and a shaded tree grove. The East Canal is the outdoor feature, complementing the “One Canalside” site to its north and a future infill development site to its south.
One Canalside – 2013 / 2014
One Canalside is a $30 million project that transformed the former General Donovan State Office Building into a mixed-use development. ECHDC took ownership of the property in 2008, shepherded programs to abate/dispose of significant asbestos in the building, undertook selective demolition down to the building’s structural frame, and procured a development team to fully repurpose the property. Today, One Canalside is a 190,000-square-foot, LEED©-Silver facility, anchored by law offices, a 102-room Courtyard Marriott Hotel and two restaurants.
Webster Block / LECOM Harborcenter – 2014 / 2015
A City of Buffalo-owned parcel within the Canalside project limits, the 1.7-acre Webster Block was the subject of a 2012 solicitation for mixed-use infill development. The Buffalo Sabres National Hockey League team/Harborcenter LLC was awarded the property for its proposed Harborcenter project (now LECOM Harborcenter), a $202 million, 20-story, 600,000-square-foot mixed-use development. The complex includes two hockey rinks and training facilities that serve as the Sabres practice facility (and home to the Canisius University and SUNY Erie hockey teams and other amateur hockey events), the full-service 205-room Buffalo Marriott hotel with signature banquet and restaurant facilities, and a four-level structured parking garage. The complex also includes other retail and restaurant space, such as a signature Tim Horton’s Coffee & Bake Shop (with commemoration to that company’s founder’s hockey career with the Sabres) and Southern Tier Brewing Company restaurant and bar. The Canalside plan overrode the industrial zoning on the parcel at the time to permit the project, and ECHDC facilitated the review and approval of the design, while the state supported the project with $25 million in state tax credits. Learn more here.
Grain Elevators/Connecting Terminal Grain Elevator Lighting – 2015
Buffalo’s historic Connecting Terminal grain elevator complex was equipped with a spectacular new lighting display that provides a direct visual link to Canalside and anchors the Buffalo River’s gateway from Lake Erie. The structure is lit every evening, thanks to a $4.5 million state investment.
Explore & More – The Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Children’s Museum – 2019
The $27 million museum constructed on the South Aud Block of Canalside is a 43,000-square-foot building with seven educational play zones, each offering hands-on activities and exhibits that tell the story of Buffalo for children and families. ECHDC invested $11 million in state funds to design and construct the building’s core and shell features and the museum association garnered contributions from multiple philanthropic partners to complete the building’s interior and exhibits. Designed for children from birth to 12 years of age, these hands-on play zones encourage children to explore their interests through the power of play. Learn more here.
Longshed – 2020
The Longshed references architectural elements that celebrate and interpret the historical significance of the Erie Canal and surrounding area. Modeled after a previous structure that once existed at the mouth of the Commercial Slip, this $5.5 million state-funded project was first used by the Buffalo Maritime Center to construct a replica of the 1825 packet boat used by Governor DeWitt Clinton to open the original Erie Canal. Today it houses “Waterway of Change: Complex Legacies of the Erie Canal,” an engaging visitor experience commemorating the Erie Canal Bicentennial. Learn more here.
Buffalo Heritage Carousel – 2021
The roundhouse encloses the historic, custom-designed nearly century-old DeAngelis wooden carousel to allow for year-round access, and to showcase Western New York’s rich history in carousel making. Learn more here.
The Chandlery – 2025
The Chandlery is the first completed development within the North Aud Block. The $14.5 million, 14,000 square-foot, 4-story masonry building evokes 19th century structures along the Erie Canal. The Chandlery is home to a visitors’ reception desk and retail store, staffed by Visit Buffalo. The building includes a public restroom, security facilities and American with Disabilities Act accessibility. Buffalo-based Be Our Guest, LTD, which manages Canalside facilities and public spaces, also has office space in the Chandlery. Learn more here.