By now we are fully aware that the City of Buffalo could not care less about the preservation of its historic buildings. Which means that, per usual, it’s solely up to the grassroots community to attempt to create awareness when it comes to buildings that are in jeopardy of being demolished (by neglect of otherwise). Then, hopefully, insightful developers can come to the rescue and save the relics before it’s too late.

Not long ago, we saw an effort called Future Blooms launch in the Old First Ward (see here). The effort rallied artists to turn blighted and in-peril buildings into canvases that would beautify the neighborhood and draw attention to the cause. The effort was introduced by The Junior League of Buffalo. By partnering with residents of the neighborhoods and like-minded organizations, the Future Blooms campaign continues to make its mark on buildings that need help. Now, Future Blooms has made its mark on the East Side of Buffalo.

“The Junior League of Buffalo partnered with the Matt Urban Hope Center, volunteers from the Wesleyan Church of Hamburg and Lowes Home Improvement Store to paint former Public School #57 at 243 Sears Street,” reports Kathleen Murphy, Coordinator of the Future Blooms Program. “This property represents the 4th installment of our program. It took 16 volunteers, 96 hours, 20 gallons of paint to complete 37 windows and 1 door. For the record, we obtained permission from the City of Buffalo to paint the building. Matt Urban Hope Center plans to eventually develop the building and offer services to the surrounding community. This was just a sneak peek at what’s coming.”

This latest Future Blooms effort is great news for this particular building, especially considering that a long term plan to reuse the school is on the horizon. “We can’t meet all of the City’s needs,” added Kathleen. “But we can start one neighborhood at a time.”

To learn more about Future Blooms, click here.