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It's only 3/4 mile long. How long do you think it will be when phase 2 get's talked about?
Who cares, they are actually doing something. Its a huge deal for the East Side, which is usually ignored. Kudos to the Governor for bringing home the bacon. It will be finished before they even start on the Scajaquada. I can't remember the last major highway project in Buffalo.
I don't know if anyone shared this link because I did not scroll through this long thread entirely but in light of the upcoming redo, the history of the Kensington Expressway redlining the East Side of Buffalo is sad but fascinating. The report also touches on other aspects that segregated neighborhoods and hurt the city.
I don't know if anyone shared this link because I did not scroll through this long thread entirely but in light of the upcoming redo, the history of the Kensington Expressway redlining the East Side of Buffalo is sad but fascinating. The report also touches on other aspects that segregated neighborhoods and hurt the city.
Construction of the actual Kensington Expressway began in 1957, but modifications to the parkway actually began as early as 1951 with the creation of the Humboldt Parkway Extension and reconstruction of the Main Street intersection, which removed large sections of the parkway median during that time.
I reviewed actual old Census numbers for the area of Humboldt Parkway between Parkside and Best Street.
Tract 33 - west of Humboldt to Jefferson between Best and Delavan
Tract 34 - east of Humboldt to Moselle between Ferry and Delavan
Tract 35 - east of Humboldt to Moselle/Genesee between Ferry and Walden
Tract 52 - north of Delavan to Parkside (both sides of Humboldt)
1950 Census -
Tract 33 - 15821 White (95%), 765 Black (5%)
Tract 34 - 7903 White (99%), 21 Black (less than 1%)
Tract 35 - 10757 White (99%), 6 Black (less than 1%)
Tract 52 - 9063 White (99%), 127 Black (1%)
1960 Census -
Tract 33 - 4471 White (28%), 11690 Black (72%)
Tract 34 - 7000 White (94%), 447 Black (6%)
Tract 35 - 9960 White (95%), 539 Black (5%)
Tract 52 - 7170 White (80%), 1831 Black (20%)
While it is clear that the expressway certainly divides neighborhoods, and has destroyed an Olmsted Parkway, the Census figures indicate that at the time of design and initial construction work the parkway adjacent neighborhoods were White majority - 98% in 1950, and 66% in 1960.
It wasn't until later in the 1960s and 1970s that the neighborhoods were fully Black majority, so it seems less likely that the expressway was constructed to split the Black community, but the long construction of the expressway itself accelerated the departure of the existing White residents. An interesting thought experiment is envisioning if the expressway had not been built whether expansion of the Black community would have occurred to the extent it did following Humboldt Parkway north, or would the area have remained a wealthy White community similar to other Parkside neighborhoods.
One thing not talked about regarding the expressway was the destruction of multiple blocks of homes and businesses along the Elm-Oak corridor, originally intended to provide a direct expressway link to the Thruway. In was that area, along with adjacent Michigan Avenue, that still show the worst scars from construction. Even through the early 1970s Michigan had been a vibrant street before whole blocks were clear-cut, and had been the historic center of the Black community for over a Century. Now that absolutely had a significant and targeted impact to the Black community, in my opinion, much more so than Humboldt Parkway.
Last edited by RocketSci; 02-23-2024 at 09:33 PM..
One thing not talked about regarding the expressway was the destruction of multiple blocks of homes and businesses along the Elm-Oak corridor, originally intended to provide a direct expressway link to the Thruway. In was that area, along with adjacent Michigan Avenue, that still show the worst scars from construction. Even through the early 1970s Michigan had been a vibrant street before whole blocks were clear-cut, and had been the historic center of the Black community for over a Century. Now that absolutely had a significant and targeted impact to the Black community, in my opinion, much more so than Humboldt Parkway.
Very interesting. No wonder why that area right at the end of the Kensington Expressway looks so empty and devoid of life. It is very reminiscent of our Melnea Cass Blvd between South End and Roxbury, Boston. It is another corridor that was formerly a tight knit working class neighborhood that was bulldozed to make way for a highway that was never built. Back to the Kensington Expressway, the extension to the Thruway would have sliced right through Theater District and part of Allentown. No doubt those areas would not have been the same had the expressway been built through there. It is shocking to imagine indeed.
Construction of the actual Kensington Expressway began in 1957, but modifications to the parkway actually began as early as 1951 with the creation of the Humboldt Parkway Extension and reconstruction of the Main Street intersection, which removed large sections of the parkway median during that time.
I reviewed actual old Census numbers for the area of Humboldt Parkway between Parkside and Best Street.
Tract 33 - west of Humboldt to Jefferson between Best and Delavan
Tract 34 - east of Humboldt to Moselle between Ferry and Delavan
Tract 35 - east of Humboldt to Moselle/Genesee between Ferry and Walden
Tract 52 - north of Delavan to Parkside (both sides of Humboldt)
1950 Census -
Tract 33 - 15821 White (95%), 765 Black (5%)
Tract 34 - 7903 White (99%), 21 Black (less than 1%)
Tract 35 - 10757 White (99%), 6 Black (less than 1%)
Tract 52 - 9063 White (99%), 127 Black (1%)
1960 Census -
Tract 33 - 4471 White (28%), 11690 Black (72%)
Tract 34 - 7000 White (94%), 447 Black (6%)
Tract 35 - 9960 White (95%), 539 Black (5%)
Tract 52 - 7170 White (80%), 1831 Black (20%)
While it is clear that the expressway certainly divides neighborhoods, and has destroyed an Olmsted Parkway, the Census figures indicate that at the time of design and initial construction work the parkway adjacent neighborhoods were White majority - 98% in 1950, and 66% in 1960.
It wasn't until later in the 1960s and 1970s that the neighborhoods were fully Black majority, so it seems less likely that the expressway was constructed to split the Black community, but the long construction of the expressway itself accelerated the departure of the existing White residents. An interesting thought experiment is envisioning if the expressway had not been built whether expansion of the Black community would have occurred to the extent it did following Humboldt Parkway north, or would the area have remained a wealthy White community similar to other Parkside neighborhoods.
One thing not talked about regarding the expressway was the destruction of multiple blocks of homes and businesses along the Elm-Oak corridor, originally intended to provide a direct expressway link to the Thruway. In was that area, along with adjacent Michigan Avenue, that still show the worst scars from construction. Even through the early 1970s Michigan had been a vibrant street before whole blocks were clear-cut, and had been the historic center of the Black community for over a Century. Now that absolutely had a significant and targeted impact to the Black community, in my opinion, much more so than Humboldt Parkway.
Great information! A lot of these highway projects are planed or came up years in advance.
I think there would still been a growing black presence in the Hamlin Park area, as going back even further to the 1937-1940 HOLC/redlining maps, you can find a description like this for a portion of the neighborhood: https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/re...09&adview=full
That area was known for attracting the early black middle class in the city and would have likely grown in terms of the black population without the construction of the Kensington(the city was 3% out of 575,000+ people or roughly 17,200).
There is no way they are going to abolish the expressway. I'd say the best they could do is purchase every house adjacent to the expressway and convert to a park on both sides. Of course plant trees in the newly created parks and they would help filter the air. Not to mention, houses will be farther away form the roadway.
Why not us? Because the state is not going to spend a billion to make traffic worse, period. Its either cap and tunnel or nothing. The Scajaquada has been dragging on for over 20 years and its much less expansive. This would take 20-30 years to make everyone happy. IMHO it makes no sense to turn the clock back 60 years and make things the way they were. Its no longer 1950 and unfortunately urban renewal has destroyed countless neighborhoods all over the country. If you restored the Humboldt then people would complain about traffic flowing through their neighborhoods. Its a total travesty what they did to the East Side, destroying the exquisite park and parkway and leaving a hideous strip of concrete that forever blighted the neighborhood. I agree 100% with the restoration idea but its not practical.
Why not us? Because the state is not going to spend a billion to make traffic worse, period. Its either cap and tunnel or nothing. The Scajaquada has been dragging on for over 20 years and its much less expansive. This would take 20-30 years to make everyone happy. IMHO it makes no sense to turn the clock back 60 years and make things the way they were. Its no longer 1950 and unfortunately urban renewal has destroyed countless neighborhoods all over the country. If you restored the Humboldt then people would complain about traffic flowing through their neighborhoods. Its a total travesty what they did to the East Side, destroying the exquisite park and parkway and leaving a hideous strip of concrete that forever blighted the neighborhood. I agree 100% with the restoration idea but its not practical.
Seattle, San Francisco and even Rochester all have removed parts of interstate highways. Every single time we hear the argument of "carmageddon" and it never comes to fruition. Those cities, SF and Seattle especially, have thrived since the removal of those highways. Buffalo's radial street pattern, as well as the other over abundance of highways can absorb this traffic perfectly fine. If you're worried about idling cars, sync the lights on our major radials. We also need to be investing in public transit to provide a viable alternative.
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