Page 1 - GC-Jan-Feb-22

A NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GERMAN-AMERICANS OF UPSTATE NEW YORK
AUSTRIA • GERMANY • LIECHTENSTEIN • SWITZERLAND

Fate of Voelker’s still on hold

by Steve Dlugosz
t is the hope of the Campaign for
Greater Buffalo History, Archi-
Itecture and Culture, as well as
several other community advocates, GERMAN CHRISTMAS
that the longtime bowling alley, bar TRADITION CONTINUES.
and restaurant Voelker's on the cor- The annual German Christmas
ner of Elmwood Avenue and Am-
herst Street will not be razed as part Mass took place on Dec. 5, 2021
of projected demolition, due to its at St. Louis Church, Main Street,
historical significance. The 130- Buffalo. The 2021 celebration
year-old site is described by preser- drew larger attendance than it
vation advocates as a generational council’s permission. did in 2020. The German-Ameri-
staple of the community. It is the belief of Tielman that can Musicians returned to offer
It was announced in April 2021 Voelker's has served as more than their music for the liturgy.
by Krista Voelker, whose great- just a venue over the years; rather, COVID concerns prevented any
grandfather opened the business in it's been a symbol for what Buffalo post-Mass reception from taking
1892, that a pandemic-related de- history represents. place. Comments among the at-
cline in business prompted the deci- "It's a piece of authentic Buffa- tendees were very favorable,
sion to close the 32-lane bowling lo," said Tielman. "It's appeared in many expressing gratitude that
alley, bar and restaurant. She said movies. I went bowling there. My things were beginning to feel
the property at 680 Amherst St. and kids went bowling there. It's just a more normal again.
three others at 666 Amherst St., 668 sense of what Buffalo is all about… photos by Martin Ederer
Amherst St. and 1634 Elmwood It's all part of substance, part of
Ave. would be demolished to make everyday life. It's a huge thing, a
way for a to-be-determined devel- really important part of Buffalo."
opment. Golombek approximated that
The demolition request was re- about 40 percent of the property
viewed by the Buffalo Preservation could be deemed salvageable under
Board last April, but was ultimately historical identification / signifi- approval. The city graciously ac-
deemed a designated historical land- cance, while finding parts of the Greg cepted the undeveloped land, by
mark by the board. Related preser- property that date back to 1946 or May of 1912 the residents of the
vation research was conducted by earlier. Witul area begged the city to add to the
Tim Tielman, director for Campaign The Councilmember added that . forthcoming park.
for Greater Buffalo History, as well specified legal writing would be es- Represented by 19th Ward Al-
as the Black Rock Historical Society tablished by the City of Buffalo in dermen Friedrich W. Gerking, Rev.
and organizational historian Monica establishing landmark boundary Gottlien Berner of St. Andrew’s Lu-
Rzepka. A narrative, titled "The Ar- lines, at which time a decision can theran Church, Dr. Gustav A. Hit-
chitectural, Historical, and Cultural be made. He said attempts have his year is a big anniversary zel, president of the German
Significance of the Elmwood Hotel- been made to work with the proper- for Buffalo’s Schiller Park as Alliance, Philip Braun operator of
Voelker’s Lanes, 680-692 Amherst ty owner on project planning, al- Tthe recreation area that fronts the Genesee Park Restaurant, Buffa-
St. and 1620 Elmwood Ave." was though long-term specified uses for Genesee Street, touches Doat Street lo Bottling Works president Bernard
compiled and submitted as part of the site have not been outlined to the south, and Villa Maria to the Vohwinkel, and real estate agent
preservation efforts. plainly. east turns a respectable 110 years Louis Adolff, Jr. urged the council
The matter had been brought to "I get both sides of it," Go- old. to purchase all the available land
the Buffalo Common Council and is lombek said in regards to what is In its long life the park has been attached to the proposed park which
awaiting further deliberation, after ultimately desired or planned to be home to pools, baseball diamonds, was being offered for $65,000, German playwright, poet, and
possible review/establishment of done with the property. "The biggest and pond and is still home to the about $10 a square foot. philosopher Friedrich Schiller.
boundary lines for at least a portion concern is demolishing the property latest addition to the park campus, As the aldermen looked into
of the site to be preserved. Tielman with no specific plan for the proper- the Schiller Park Senior Citizens property and possible purchase, Al- in his knowledge of his industry,
said such re-drawing of the site bor- ty. The idea of “Demo it and (poten- Center. But if it wasn’t for the cam- derman Gerking began campaign- Gerking made the leap to open his
der-lines has been suggested at least tial buyers) will come” is not a paigning of the area’s strong Ger- ing to have the park named after the own cigar firm in 1893.
as a way of saving portions of the viable option… (The site) can't be man-American community, the 42 great German playwright, poet, and Twenty years later, Friedrich’s
property(s), in establishing how the removed while under historical (re- year old building as well as the park philosopher Friedrich Schiller. popular tobacco brands and connec-
site is contributing under the desig- view). I do think part of it is (histor- as a whole would have been known Having just been elected in tions to a great number of German-
nation as "art/resource." ically salvageable as a landmark)." by another name, Scajaquada Park. 1911, the Republican Gerking need- American organizations would help
In July, Voelker expressed her According to Tielman, preserva- On Oct. 19, 1911, two of the ed a big win that would appeal to the him win his seat as alderman.
desire to have the site transformed, tion precedence has been set both Pine Hill area’s leading men, entire, mostly Democratic, German By late May, the details to pur-
perhaps, into a green space, or pos- locally and nationally when it comes George Urban, Jr and William H. community around Genesee Street. chase the land were being worked
sibly a grocery store or bank. How- to historic structures, or when just Walker, contacted Mayor Fuhrmann Born Feb. 8, 1861 in Kirchlengern out and now only the name had to be
ever, the Buffalo Common Council parts of structures, such as signs. with an offer. They would each do- in the modern day state of North settled. The Express weighed into
would ultimately need to decide on The Common Council had previ- nate a plot of land flanking Sprenger Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the fight, saying the Germans of
its significance, and in September ously ruled in the favor of past pres- Avenue, Urban giving a half acre on Friedrich arrived in Western New Buffalo should be represented in the
the Council voted for a cease and ervation efforts, designating the east side of the street and Walker York in the early 1880s. city’s public spaces. The newspaper
desist order against any change to "thousands" of items as holding his- giving a half acre on the west, if the With a desire to become a tobac- also championed a proposed
Voelker’s Lanes. This came after toric significance, at least to the lev- city would develop the land into a conist, Gerking first worked for $25,000 statue to the William Tell
Councilmember Joseph Golombek el of non-razing, the advocate said. public park named after the creek wholesaler and retailer Otto Kieke- author that in the end would never
said there were community con- Tielman listed examples of this that ran through it, Scajaquada. busch, and then moved on to the come to fruition.
cerns that a sneak demolition was locally as the Wonder Bread sign on Fuhrmann agreed with the idea well known cigar manufacturing continued on page 7
attempted at that time without the and sent it to the city alderman for firm of H. & J. Breitwieser. Secure
continued on page 2