If only we could...
Consolidate ECC!
 |
By Barry A. Muskat
It’s been decades since decision-makers sent the Bills’ “new” football stadium to Orchard Park and put the “new” University of Buffalo campus in Amherst. Either the stadium or the university could have had significant influence in strengthening the city core ages ago. (Hey, I’m one of the many who think the UB Law School should be downtown near the courts and the action, but that’s a different topic.) But we can still work with what we already have downtown. Academically speaking, when it comes to Buffalo’s downtown core, it makes sense to capitalize on the huge untapped potential of Erie Community College.
There are finally concrete plans in the works that will expand and enhance Erie Community College’s City Campus. But as I see it, here’s the brutal truth: In order to make its downtown campus vibrant and important, we need to consolidate and close the two suburban campuses. It’s a plain and simple fact: Three community college campuses within a twenty-minute commute are two campuses too many.
We don’t need to be math majors to comprehend that three times the number of classrooms, instructors, and administrators are equations that have no rational solution. Of all the current proposals for regionalism, this is the issue where consolidation makes perfect sense. At least with ECC, the post-World War II process of de-urbanization and outward sprawl can be refocused back towards the urban core.
Here’s the deal: Close ECC North in Amherst. Convert the campus to green space, school buildings, condominiums, offices, senior citizen housing, or whatever the Town of Amherst decides is best. (The intolerable traffic congestion in the Main-Youngs-Wehrle area should weigh heavily in the town’s decision.) And, yes, close ECC South as well. It sits on a sprawling parcel of land which would be marketable for a litany of uses.
Closing the North and South Campuses will eliminate triplication of positions and services and the costs of maintenance and utilities in running three separate physical plants. Keep some of the land for public access and return some part of this very prime land to the tax rolls. The college and the county could benefit from the dollars that will be exchanged for these highly desirable sites.
Sure, a few will complain and repeat tired clichés: The city isn’t safe. There’s no place to eat or shop. It’s such a long drive! The truth is, the city is safe and will become safer with droves of students. Restaurants, shops, and services will flourish: businesses respond to demand and patronage. And as for commutes, these are not lengthy drives. Mapquest and my odometer put both trips under ten miles. For those who wish to drive to school, the campus couldn’t be any closer to the Thruway—just slide down the exit ramp and you’re at your destination.
But let’s go even further: Does each student really need to drive his/her own car to classes? Environmentally and economically, it makes huge sense to be like other major cities that actually use their public transportation. Established bus routes run along the city campus. Metro Rail is just a short block’s walk. (Let’s build the long-delayed northtown and southtown connectors while we’re at it.) The campus is a hop from both the Metro bus station and the Dingens Street Amtrak station. A new volume of student patronage could provide impetus to make our public transit systems better and more viable.
Show off the architectural headliner of the existing City Campus. Its showpiece building (at Ellicott and South Division Streets) was originally the main post office for the City of Buffalo and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If you haven’t done it lately, take a few minutes to walk into its central court to visit its exquisite space—its beautiful columns and pilasters, the rhythms and patterns of the layered arcades that overlook the court, the gorgeous detailing of its interior cornice—the entire experience bathed in light from its massive skylights. This is one of the most successful adaptive reuse projects you can find in any city, yet since its completion it has been underused and underappreciated.
ECC’s nearby Flickinger Natatorium was built for the World University Games and is one of the few successes of postmodern architecture in the city. Its handsome and energetic athletic facility has an Olympic-sized pool and a secondary pool. In addition to its recognized acquatic excellence, it has a great gym, weight room, and cardiovascular equipment. Its three basketball courts, indoor track, classrooms, and meeting space could serve a wider student population.
The county’s brand new Public Safety building (watch for a feature in Buffalo Spree’s next issue) is up and running and will be the hub of central communication and emergency dispatch. Its crime lab is state-of-the-art, and Phase II of the project will incorporate law enforcement training for the region. It is an important new anchor for the campus and provides a critically strategic presence for the neighborhood.
A downtown campus as the anchor of the ECC system just makes good sense. There are compatible facilities no more than two blocks in any direction. Dunn Tire Park is a stone’s throw away. Its attraction as home of the Bisons and its terrific concerts and fireworks have been a huge success and source of pride for Buffalo. Wouldn’t it be great if this facility that sits dormant on so many days could be utilized for other events important to a small college campus?
The main branch of the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library system is at Lafayette Square. Don’t build another campus library, and don’t let this facility be at risk for closure. Take full advantage of this terrific resource by making it accessible to students and inviting to the public.
New buildings are planned for the campus on parcels of land that the county has slowly acquired nearby. That’s exciting. But as an active advocate for reusing existing building stock, I must point out that there are empty buildings nearby (look on Ellicott, Eagle, and Washington Streets) with tons of potential also crying out to be recycled and revitalized.
Why are there plans to build housing on the South Campus? It seems like a blatant political trade-off to satisfy suburban naysayers. (Where, oh where, is the tax rebellion over county investing in new dormitories on the South Campus?) Student housing should be located downtown and not in a remote campus with only vehicular accessibility. If it’s housing we need, then let’s look at the deteriorating Lafayette Hotel. This century-old French Renaissance building was designed by Louise Blanchard Bethune (a Buffalonian and the first female architect admitted to the American Institute of Architects). Its red brick elevations are highlighted with white terra cotta accents. The Lafayette’s rich history of hospitality is now relegated to daily and weekly rentals. Its 400 hotel rooms would be eminently adaptable into dormitories or apartments. Let’s save this piece of history while it is still rescuable. Its ballrooms and public spaces could be restored to provide grand settings for many academic events.
Use ECC’s talented faculty to its fullest advantage. Classes can be centralized. This is a community college that trains students for specific skills and positions. It offers one-year certificate programs or two-year programs that can earn an associate’s degree. Many students use ECC as a stepping stone to another institution. As a publicly funded institution, it is totally appropriate and necessary for the current student population to be increased. Centralization of classes will also result in a better blend of student population and synergies.
A strong district anchored by ECC will further stimulate residential development, shops, and services. More fully ulitize the current facilities of the campus. Build on the success of new opportunities in downtown housing. Build on successful events like Thursdays at the Square. Focus development back towards the core of the city. A vibrant campus will be enhanced by a vital downtown: a vital campus will make downtown vibrant.
Barry A. Muskat is Spree’s architecture critic. An adjunct professor at Canisius College and a businessman, he serves on the Buffalo Preservation Board. Opinions expressed in this article are his own. Your comment is invited to the editor or to spree.architecture@adelphia.net
Back to the Table of Contents
Back to Top