Category: Preservation

A road trip from Buffalo to KCMO and back!

I had the extreme pleasure of keynoting the Historic Kansas City  Old Home Week Preservation Conference this past week!

Instead of flying, Drew and I drove my awesome new orange Subaru XV – spending six days on the road visiting all kinds of cities and friends along the way! We were fueled by random stops for biscuits, ice cream and coffee… we slept in the coolest places including a DIY style loft in downtown STL, in a tiny shotgun style brick house in Louisville, a historic inn in KCMO owned by two super sweet guys and a random airbnb with two cool cats… and we had the chance to meet up with preservationists across the rust belt including Sarah Marsom from Columbus, Michael Allen from STL and Kristine / Amanda / Julie and the rest of the KCMO crew.

About KCMO: With 20,000 people living downtown, a rich history of food and music and a brand new street car starter line rail system, KCMO is a pretty cool city! Kansas City is home to the sweet heat BBQ sauce that everyone loves. They also have shuttle cocks on the lawn of their art museum, an iconic historic plaza built by Nichols (who is also responsible for establishing red lining across America – ugh!), and a cornucopia of incredible parks and parkways laid out by Kessler – all which are extremely vast and well maintained. The KCMO architectural claim to fame may be the “shirt waist” style house that features local limestone on the porch and another 1.5 story above it (second floor and attic).

The KCMO preservation community was all up in arms about Nelle Peters, a grouping of historic tudor style apartment buildings right near the plaza. As you can guess, the owner was demolishing them without a plan. Everyone wanted them saved and I worked with the community to get a petition, heart bombs and Facebook group started… but I am extremely sad to report that I found out today that they have begun tearing them down. KCMO, I am very heartbroken for you tonight.

On a personal level, Drew and I had some great heart to heart conversations, listened to a ton of podcasts and some our favorite bands we listed to were Neon Indian, Tame Impala, Youth Lagoon, Mac Demarco and Tyco. Our trip cost less than two plane tickets, the lowest gas price we paid was $1.38 a gallon and Drew was going nuts over the mid western water towers. We want to badly go back to Louisville, too… it is like an older, slightly more hip Buffalo. I was thrilled to spend some quality time up with my Uncle Norman and Aunt Pauline in KCMO – they came to see me speak!! STL seemed to be our favorite stop – the arch was amazing and we had a delicious breakfast at the Mud House in the Cherokee Historic district! We had a ton of fun!

That wraps it all up!!

This airbnb cat… ha!!
A vacant “shirt waist” house in KCMO.
Love this mid century building in downtown KCMO with the Rocket on it!
New rail lines in downtown KCMO!!
The Nelle Peters Apartments… Very Sad.
The Gem Theatre.
BBQ! (The sweet heat is my favorite!)
Downtown STL.
Bernice speaking to the Historic Kansas City crew.
Downtown 18th & Vine
A little shotgun beauty in Louisville!
MICHAEL ALLEN, STL’s leading preservationist!
Drew drinking coffee in Louisville at “Please & Thank You”.
Incredible detail at the conference….
DIY Loft in Downtown STL!
Snapped by my Aunt Pauline.
The Inn at 425 in Kansas City, MO!
YES PLEASE. Cracked Plaster Repair Kit!!!
The Young Ohio Preservationists!
Historic KC!
Meeting with The Black Urbanist, Kristen Jeffers!
One Line Coffee in Columbus.
Smooches in St. Louis!

 

 

 

Must Attend Events – 1/28, 1/29 and 1/31

Friends!

This is a very BUSY week. Join me in celebrating and helping to make positive change!

Thursday – 1/28 : Preservation Board Meeting at 3pm – City Hall RM. 901. This is a public hearing to voice your support for Crosby, the Bachelor and North Park Library. All three of these buildings are VERY important and historic. More info can be found here.

Friday – 1/29 : Join me in celebrating my latest preservation rehab! 351 Massachusetts Ave from 5-7pm. Get a sneak peak tour and drink beer with me.

Sunday 1/31 : HEART BOMBS!!!! Join BYP at 351 Massachusetts Ave to make some serious hearts and help do a fun preservation project that is very effective!

Love, B

Buffalo takes on Detroit: 36 Hours In The Motor City by Bernice Radle

You have stolen my heart, Detroit.

Bernice Radle at the Michigan Central Station
The Michigan Central Station

Here is what happens when you put four people who love planning, cities, buildings and the rust belt together in a car. We drive 5 hours to Detroit, rent out a kick ass industrial loft space, wander around town checking out bars, shops and historic sites, tour a once forgotten Kresge Mansion now being renovated by a 30 year old and meet with Mark Nickita (architect, owner of Pure Detroit and Mayor of Birmingham MI), inside the Guardian building – an art deco masterpiece! It was a trip for the memory books. You can see photos from our trip here.

Here are my top three take aways from our 36 hours in Detroit.

Buffalo is Detroit’s sister city. Hands down. Our radial street grid, friendly mid western attitude and blue collar approach to life is nearly identical. We both can see Canada from our windows, we share Lake Erie and we share similar boom / bust  / rebirth stories. Detroit is definitely Buffalo’s older, bigger Brother – the industrial strength attitude is very masculine, IMO. Sure, Detroit is bigger in size and in population but we can learn a lot from one another and we are only a 5 hour drive away!

TRUE GRIT. With slogans like “Detroit Hustles Harder” and “Detroit Vs. Everybody”, it is clear that Detroit has embraced their true grit and entrepreneurial spirit and that nothing, including their steep decline, will stop them. A rising tide raises all the boats, was the mentality from many of the local folks we spoke with. Sure, there is a long way to go and a lot to accomplish but we left feeling a great deal of confidence in the future of the Motor City. Detroit is tough and resilient!

Detroit is ALIVE. All the articles you’ve read about the vacancy and decline is true however, many fail to notice or mention the incredible amount of life that Detroit has. We saw signs of it everywhere – from a 30 year old buying a Kresge Mansion to the emerging Michigan Avenue retail corridor… the entrepreneur spirit is alive and well in the Motor City.  The downtown is beautiful – the storefronts are lit up with lights, the ice skating rink was packed at midnight and even their top millionaires are working together to privately pay for a light rail system along Woodward Avenue. Heck, even billionaires own community gardens in Detroit.

In case you want to travel to Detroit and don’t know what to do, here is a list of all the places we went to in 36 hours. It was a true sprint!!

  • Industrial Loft Space – Check In (Air B&B)
  • Corktown Tavern
  • Gaelic Irish Center
  • Slows BBQ
  • Michigan Central Station
  • Mercury Bar
  • Motor City Wine Bar
  • UFO Bar
  • Downtown Detroit – Ice Rink / Fox Theatre / Woodward Avenue
  • Detroit Institute of Bagels
  • Brush Park
  • Kresge Mansion Tour – Arden Park
  • Eastern Market
  • Guardian Building / Talk with Mark Nikida
  • Mid Town – City Bird / Nest / Shinola
  • Traffic Jam Restaurant
  • Greektown – “Detroit Vs. Everybody” Store

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Peter H. Brink Award for Individual Achievement in Historic Preservation – Bernice Radle

Bernice Radle accepts the National Trust for Historic Preservation award in Savannah, Georgia.

Peter H. Brink Award for Individual Achievement in Historic Preservation

Bernice Radle
Buffalo, New York

As a founder and managing director of Buffalove Development, Radle has taken a creative and hands-on approach to preservation in Buffalo, working to restore four homes that were at risk of being demolished, while also changing the preservation conversation in the city.

Bernice Radle accepts the National Trust for Historic Preservation award in Savannah, Georgia.
Bernice Radle accepts the National Trust for Historic Preservation award in Savannah, Georgia.

Heart Bombs for Preservation – Sat. Feb 1, 2014 at 10am!

Join the Buffalo’s Young Preservationists on Saturday, Feb 1st at 10am for our third annual heart bombs for preservation event! (FACEBOOK LINK)

Each year we (BYP) get together and use craft supplies to create hearts for vacant buildings that we want to see saved in 2014. It may be “cute” but this is a great way to educate the public about the Vacancy Vortex and that demolition is not the only answer. This year we will be joined with cities around the country who have stepped up to heart bomb their vacant buildings.

10am starts the fun at Preservation Buffalo Niagara’s office in the Market Arcade. (Thank you PBN for space!!) We will provide snacks, crafts and coffee. Please bring any crafts supplies you may have and glue/scissors.

Preservation Buffalo Niagara
Suite 201, 617 Main Street
Buffalo, New York 14203

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Buffalo Spree Covers Buffalove Development’s Preservation Win!

Buffalo Spree Covers Buffalove Development’s Preservation Win! (<— Link!)

This is an exciting piece for us. It launches our newest purchase – a 1860’s brick cottage that we rescued from the brink of demolition. Jason saw it on the preservation agenda because they asked for a demolition permit – citing that nothing about it was historic. (What!?!?!) This 1860’s brick cottage is 1500 square feet of awesome. After a series of negotiations, the purchase price totaled $1. It has a new roof, a new furnace and it is gutted, exposing the brick and the 150 years of changes overtime. Even in its gutted state, it’s a beauty. Its layout is simple and its size is manageable. Unlike our other properties, this one will be our home!

Buffalo Spree will be doing a set of articles on this house, following our rehab process to explain how preservation and energy efficiency will come together to provide a rehab that is cost effective, forward thinking and inspiring for others as they venture through the rehab process! Thank you to Gwen Ito and the Buffalo Spree crew for covering this story.

You can check the article out here: http://www.buffalospree.com/Buffalo-Spree/January-2014/Developing-Radle-and-Wilson/

Photo taken this summer when we purchased the building by Christina Laing!
Photo in the Buffalo Spree article by the wonderful KC Kratt!

The Story of My Ted X Buffalo Experience: Before, During & After.

I wanted to give you all a little insight to my personal experiences surrounding the Ted X Buffalo event. Sometimes I may seem like a happy robot online – I always try to maintain an image that is positive, kick ass and ambitious. While 99% of the time that is true, the other 1% usually stays quiet. However, since TED was such an emotional roller coaster for me, I figured I would write about it on my personal blog. Here is my personal take of the before, during and after of the whole event.

First of all, Ted X Buffalo is a really inspiring event for anyone and everyone. If you haven’t been to Ted X Buffalo, you have to go!!

Leading up to Ted X Buffalo, I was going INSANE. Ted X Buffalo is a BIG DEAL. Stressed to the max, super anxious and cranky would have best described the week leading up to the talk…  Poor Jason,  he was so supportive despite my craziness. I will never forget when I  exploded in tears because he couldn’t help me and I was running out of time to cut out heart bombs.  I felt the pressure to be GREAT, not just good, which really added to the stress. And of course, most people finalize their TED talk about 3 months before the event and… my talk finally came together about 3 weeks prior. Cramming in all the info in 12 minutes was a serious hurdle. Every suggestion from my friends literally made my head explode just thinking about where to put it into the talk. The hardest challenge in preparing for the talk was doing the talk over and over again because each talk literally took all my energy for at least an hour, making the amount of practicing times very limited. Practicing was literally exhausting.

The day of Ted X Buffalo, I unintentionally had to rely on my brain only. I didn’t bring notes to review backstage! (It was probably for the best…lol)  Even two minutes before I went on, I was standing backstage holding a giant heart with the words “Preservation is Sexy” on it…. with no real plan as to when or how I was going to use it. “Whatever happens, happens….there is no turning back now”, I said to myself.  But when I got up there,  it all flowed out the way I wanted it. The lights weren’t too bright and the giant flashing  red timer didn’t even phase me. I didn’t forget a slide, mumble my words or blank out. At the end of the day, my heart bombs & vacancy vortex TED X talk went off way better than I could have ever imagined it.  Having 400 people put hearts over their heads while I held up a “Preservation is Sexy” heart was super fun! Of course there will always be things to add, changes you wish you made but I am happy that it was clear, concise and inspiring. The best part came afterwards; the influx of texts, calls, tweets, message and emails of support that came from my friends from across the globe- all who had taken the time to watch my talk via live stream online… it was easily one of the best feelings ever.

I found myself in awe of my surroundings the entire day. The audience was super responsive and the speakers nailed it. The Ted X planning crew ROCKED – everything went off perfectly.  I had the best conversations with people who inspire me to learn more and live harder. I bonded with the other TED speakers and found myself appreciative and honored to be included in the small group of Ted X Buffalo speakers. I didn’t even want to fall asleep later that night because I didn’t want the day to be over… a feeling which I haven’t felt in a long time.

The TED event made me realize a few things to add to my talk – a great friend mentioned that comparing rehab versus demolition costs would be helpful in my case for preservation and another suggested that I add a few more photos. Also, I realized the need to actually record my power points presentations on preservation so they can be used in the future. If I want more people to know about the vacancy vortex, I have to get the information ready and out to the world, right?

Lastly, as I write this, I am sitting in Nantucket – a magical island of historic preservation, boats and dreaminess. All that stress from TED made my 6 day get away even better. After days of hanging with family, playing in sand and exploring the island via moped, I am recharged and excited to get back to Buffalo to work on preservation projects, building rehabs and energy efficiency projects!

That basically wraps up my entire Ted X Buffalo experience. Sometimes I feel like a happy robot when I am online and hopefully this gives you a little insight to my thinking, my emotions and my approach to life. 🙂

My personal Ted X Buffalo video has yet to come out but here is a photo from Tuesday’s TED X Buffalo Event. You can watch the long version of the video which includes several presenters, including my presentation here.  I start at about 35 min in!

Please check out http://www.tedxbuffalo.com for all the presentations, they were all very fun and inspiring.

http://new.livestream.com/tedxbuffalo2013/events/2425305/videos/32294489

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Tuesday, Oct 15th – Ted X Buffalo 2013!

Ted X Buffalo is on Tuesday, October 15th!

If you were not one of the lucky 400 people to get a ticket, you can live stream it online at tedxbuffalo.com !

I talk between 9:24 – 9:36am. My ted talk is called “Preservation 2.0“.  In 12 minutes, I will hopefully educate the audience about the “Vacancy Vortex” and show people what the young preservationists are doing to help save these vacant houses from heading to a landfill.
Our vacancy crisis is real and houses are being demolished unnecessarily everyday. Rehabbing our vacant houses is our ticket to maintaining affordability, adding jobs, increasing neighborhood value (financially and socially) and also, they are inherently more sustainable – the old growth wood, crown molding and other details inside these homes trumps anything you can buy today.
This Ted X talk is in no way rocket science nor will it bring tears of joy but understanding the vacancy vortex it is important to the future our neighborhoods and to the overall well being of Buffalo. I hope you like it!

 

Buffalo: The Best Designed City !

I was one of the many folks who teared up last night while watching the premier of this film. The video highlights the some of the best parts of our city and provides aerial shots that are breathtaking.  The film covers our continued struggles with vacancies and declining neighborhoods but ends on a positive tone about how we are springing back and becoming great once again. Buffalo is a GREAT city to live, work and play and I am thankful to be a part of all of this amazing Buffalo madness. What an incredible video!!
Here’s the direct link to the video if you’d like to mention it in an email / tweet / facebook post.
You can also send people to the website, where the film is prominent and easy to view:

 

Photos By: Nate Peracciny
www.Peracciny.com

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