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Explore Buffalo is Marching Into Tour Season

Mar 4, 2018 | Events

Join Explore Buffalo on their inside tour of downtown buildings, St. Mary’s School for the Deaf and the Tri-Main Building. Look up and discovered beautiful ceilings, or enjoy the City of Light bus tour. Or, reserve a spot on the March Spotlight Tour featuring the University at Buffalo History of Medicine Collection.

MARCH SPOTLIGHT TOUR: UB HISTORY OF MEDICINE COLLECTION
March 22 • 6 p.m.
Meet: Basement of Abbott Hall on the University at Buffalo South Campus. Parking is available in the nearby Diefendorf Lot.
Cost: General $25, Explorer Pass $20. Space is limited on this tour and reservations are required.

Did doctors commonly prescribe alcohol for medical ailments? How did dentists drill cavities before electricity? What did surgeons use for training before modern computer programs and labs? Come on this tour of the Robert L. Brown History of Medicine Collection to spend an evening with the curator and find medicinal whiskey, a foot-powered dental drill, early training models of the human body that bear a certain resemblance to Operation, and more curiosities in the collection! Plus, check out the closed stacks where 17th and 19th century books on “medical monstrosities” from Renaissance Europe can be found in company with the earliest records of the UB Medical School.

Originally built as the Lockwood Library, the library was designed by EB Green and named in honor of benefactor Thomas Lockwood. Green modeled the exterior of the building on the Villa La Rotonda in Vicenza, Italy, designed by Renaissance Architect Andrea Palladio. The interior of the main reading room is modeled from a room in Hatfield House, Hertfordshire, England.

INSIDE ST. MARY’S SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF
March 7 • 6 p.m.
Meet: St. Mary’s School for the Deaf, 2253 Main St., Buffalo. Enter the driveway from Main Street to use the parking lot which is behind the buildings; the main entrance faces the parking lot and is up a flight of stairs to the right of the bridge that the driveway goes underneath.
Cost: General $15, Student $5, Explorer Pass $10

St. Mary’s School for the Deaf, established in Buffalo in 1853 as the first academic school for the deaf in the country, was relocated from Edward Street to its current location on Main Street in 1898. This two-hour walking tour highlights the beautiful architecture of this historic building and offers fascinating information about the history and culture of deaf people in the Buffalo area.

The tour also offers a glimpse into the current world of educating deaf and hard of hearing students in the 21st century. Highlights of the tour include original woodwork from 1898, stained glass windows in the former chapel, the school’s cherished museum which houses a wealth of artifacts and photographs from throughout the decades at St. Mary’s, and a brief meet and greet with a few of the school’s residential students, which comprise approximately 30 percent of the current school population. Join us for a one-of-a-kind tour in one of Buffalo’s iconic buildings!

INSIDE DOWNTOWN – NORTH
March 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30 • 10:30 a.m.
Meet: Spot Coffee, 227 Delaware Ave. at the corner of Chippewa Street. Two-hour metered parking is available on Delaware Avenue and other nearby streets, or private parking lots are available – the closest is on Delaware Avenue, next to Spot Coffee. The nearest MetroRail station, Fountain Plaza, is three blocks away.
Cost: General $15, Student $5, Explorer Pass Free

Join Explore Buffalo for a winter tour of downtown landmarks, focusing on interior spaces to stay warm! This tour covers a variety of architectural styles and successful adaptive reuses of buildings in the northern part of downtown Buffalo. Buildings featured on this tour include  Goldome Bank, Market Arcade and the Electric Tower. There are short outdoor walks to get from building to building, with the tour designed to allow tour takers to spend most of the time indoors.

INSIDE DOWNTOWN – SOUTH
March 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24, 20, 30 • 10:30 a.m.
Meet: Buffalo Harbor Museum at 66 Erie St. near the corner of Franklin and Swan streets (Erie Street has been converted into a park). Street parking in downtown Buffalo is free on weekends. Private paid parking lots do require payment on weekends. The nearest Metro Rail stop is the Swan Street station, approximately two blocks away.
Cost: General $15, Student $5, Explorer Pass Free

Join Explore Buffalo for a winter tour of downtown landmarks, focusing on interior spaces to stay warm! This tour covers a variety of architectural styles and successful adaptive reuses of buildings in the southern part of downtown Buffalo. Buildings featured on this tour include St. Joseph’s and St. Paul’s Cathedrals, Ellicott Square Building and the Old Post Office. There are short outdoor walks to get from building to building, with the tour designed to allow tour takers to spend most of the time indoors.

WINTER SPEAKER SERIES – WOMEN OF BUFFALO
March 8 • 7 p.m.
Meet: First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, One Symphony Circle, Buffalo.
Cost: General $10, Student $5, Explorer Pass Free

They worked hard for their money! Working Women at the Turn of the Century
The influx of Irish immigrants and the Industrial Revolution changed the lives of women, especially single women, between 1870 and 1920. Although it was the Gilded Age in Buffalo, not everyone was a millionaire living on Delaware Avenue. What kind of work were women doing and where were they doing it? From domestic servants to groundbreaking professionals, hear the stories of Buffalo’s working women – their struggles and their successes.

Married to the Mob: Buffalo Style
The stories of the crime family of Stefano Magaddino are fairly well known. What many people might not immediately realize is that while Magaddino and his underlings were running a major crime organization, they were also married and raising families. And of course, the stories of their wives are not nearly as well known, though these women were just as interesting as the men. Enjoy the unique stories of the women who chose to marry into the Buffalo crime family.

CITY OF LIGHT BUS TOUR
March 10, 24 • 1 p.m.
Meet: Buffalo Seminary, 205 Bidwell Parkway, Buffalo
Cost: General $40, Explorer Pass $35

At the end of the 19th century, Buffalo was a major American city in the forefront of technological progress. It was a busy inland port and a railroad hub with heavy industry and state-of-the-art electricity – all of which brought great wealth to the city. These economic and technological developments culminated in 1901 when Buffalo hosted a spectacular world’s fair: the Pan-American Exposition.

Experience Buffalo through the eyes of the narrator of Lauren Belfer’s historical novel, City of Light, which is set in Buffalo at the dawn of the 20th century. Reservations are required for this tour as space is limited on the bus. For check-in, please print your confirmation email or show it on your phone. The tour is three hours in length and includes some walking and stairs. The tour proceeds rain or shine.

LOOKING UP: DOWNTOWN CEILINGS & SKYLIGHTS
March 16, 30 • 1 p.m.
Meet: Western New York Book Arts Center, 468 Washington St., Buffalo, corner of Washington and Mohawk streets. Two-hour parking is available on surrounding streets, and the Mohawk Parking Ramp is on the opposite corner. The Lafayette Square Station of the Metro Rail is around the corner on Main Street.
Cost: General $15, Student $5, Explorer Pass Free

Come ready to look up on this downtown walking tour! This tour will reveal the ornate ceilings and skylights found in many buildings throughout downtown Buffalo. While many people walk underneath them on a daily basis, the ceilings of many of Buffalo’s buildings are often their least-noticed feature. Join us on this tour to discover these beautiful works of art, many of which are hiding in plain sight!

INSIDE TRI-MAIN
March 23 • 2 p.m.
Meet: Tri-Main Center at 2495 Main St. Please note the main entrance to the building lobby is on Halbert Street, adjacent to the building’s parking lots.
Cost: General $15, Students $5, Explorer Pass Free

Join us for a tour inside one of Buffalo’s most historic industrial buildings! The Tri-Main Center’s history encompasses four different eras, beginning with Ford in 1915 and continuing through Bell Aircraft and Trico to the present day as a mixed-use facility housing over 100 different companies over six floors and 575,000 square feet. This tour will highlight the past, present and future of this massive building. As we wind our way through the Tri-Main Center, you’ll learn about the building’s history and see some of the current tenants. The tour will end at the Buffalo Arts Studio, which you are welcome to explore on your own at the end of the tour as part of their free Fourth Friday event.

EXPLORERS STORY HOUR
March 24 • 1 p.m.
Meet: First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo, 1 Symphony Circle, Buffalo
Cost: Adult $5, Children Free, Explorer Pass Free

Bring your little ones and join us for a fun-packed Explorers Story Hour! We’ll read a book about architecture, engineering or local history, followed by a STEAM-based craft activity – Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics. Youngsters are encouraged (but not required!) to bring their favorite explorer pal along with them, whether it’s an American Girl doll, a stuffed animal or an action figure.

Explorers Story Hour will be held at the Explore Buffalo Learning Center inside First Presbyterian Church of Buffalo at One Symphony Circle, Buffalo. Parking is available in the church parking lot accessible from Pennsylvania Street. This program is intended for children ages 4 to 8. Parents are required to stay with their children for this program.

Advance reservations are encouraged but not required for all tours. All credit card payments must be made in advance. Advance reservations with a credit card can be made online until the tour starting time. Cash or checks are accepted at the start of the tour. If you make an advance reservation, please print your confirmation email or be prepared to show it on your phone. Most tours are between 90 minutes and two hours in length. Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather!

For more information, please visit explorebuffalo.org or phone (716) 245-3032.

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