A Framework for Preserving Place, Memory, and Community.
Nearly two centuries of history have shaped Buffalo’s East Side. From its earliest settlement patterns and immigrant neighborhoods to the rise of industrial corridors, civil rights activism, community institutions, and the profound impacts of urban renewal, the East Side tells one of the most important stories in Buffalo’s history. The completion of the East Side Context Study marks a significant milestone in documenting and understanding that story.
The East Side Context Study was created to identify and describe the major themes in the physical, cultural, and social development of Buffalo’s East Side. Covering the period from Buffalo’s first formal plan in 1804 through 1980, the study provides a framework for future historic resource surveys, National Register nominations, local landmark designations, and additional preservation planning efforts. Rather than focusing on a single building type or cultural group, the study examines an entire geography that encompasses roughly one-third of New York State’s second-largest city.
Why This Study Matters
Historic context studies are often the first step in preservation planning. They establish the historical framework necessary to identify significant places, evaluate historic resources, and guide future preservation initiatives. This study provides that foundation for Buffalo’s East Side, creating a roadmap for future research, designation efforts, and community-based preservation work.
The East Side occupies a unique place in Buffalo’s history. It experienced the city’s most rapid population growth during the first half of the twentieth century and its most dramatic population decline during the second half. It contains neighborhoods built by generations of immigrant communities, and it has long been home to the majority of Buffalo’s African American residents. The study recognizes that understanding these patterns of growth, migration, investment, disinvestment, and resilience is essential to making informed preservation decisions today.
Study Area
Preservation Buffalo Niagara defined the East Side as the area generally bounded by Main Street on the west, Kensington Avenue on the north, the city line on the east, and Seneca Street on the south. These boundaries were treated as guidelines rather than rigid limits, acknowledging the complex and evolving nature of neighborhood identities across the East Side.
Within these boundaries are dozens of neighborhoods and communities, each with its own history, architecture, institutions, and cultural traditions. The study recognizes that neighborhood names and boundaries have changed over time and that community identity remains central to understanding the East Side’s history.
Building a More Inclusive Preservation Framework
The East Side Context Study was designed as a research-focused project that drew upon maps, photographs, government records, newspapers, oral histories, organizational archives, historic surveys, academic sources, and conversations with community leaders and subject matter experts. 
Particular emphasis was placed on incorporating diverse perspectives and sources that have historically been underrepresented in traditional preservation studies.
The study also serves as a foundation for continued community engagement. Preservation Buffalo Niagara views the report as part of an ongoing effort to work collaboratively with residents, organizations, historians, and stakeholders to identify meaningful ways of preserving the East Side’s historic resources and cultural heritage.
Recommendations for Future Preservation Efforts
Perhaps the study’s most important contribution is its identification of opportunities for future preservation work. The report recommends continued survey efforts throughout the East Side, including neighborhood-based investigations and corridor studies that can support future historic district nominations, landmark designations, thematic studies, and preservation planning initiatives.
Project Support
The East Side Context Study was made possible in part through a 2019 Preserve New York grant administered by the Preservation League of New York State. Preserve New York is a partnership of the New York State Council on the Arts and the Preservation League of New York State. Additional support for the project was provided by Preservation Buffalo Niagara, Bero Architecture, New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Majority Leader Crystal D. Peoples-Stokes.
Looking Ahead
The completion of the East Side Context Study is not an endpoint. It is a beginning.
By documenting the historical forces, cultural traditions, neighborhood identities, and built resources that shaped Buffalo’s East Side, this study establishes a foundation for future preservation efforts. Its recommendations will help guide neighborhood surveys, historic district nominations, landmark designations, and community-driven preservation initiatives for years to come.
Most importantly, the study affirms that the East Side’s history matters. Its neighborhoods, institutions, businesses, places of worship, cultural landmarks, and everyday streetscapes collectively tell a story that is essential to understanding Buffalo’s past and preserving its future.
The East Side Contact Study, developed by Preservation Buffalo Niagara, will help shape future preservation initiatives by documenting and elevating the cultural significance of East Side communities. As the study identifies neighborhoods with potential historic district eligibility, it may open the door to valuable tax credit programs that enable homeowners to invest in the preservation and rehabilitation of their historic properties. Having lived on Buffalo’s East Side for most of my adult life, I am especially enthusiastic about the opportunities this study may create for neighborhoods such as the University District. I would welcome the chance to see communities like these take full advantage of the preservation resources, incentives, and technical assistance that historic district designation can provide.
