I don’t understand why Pano was allowed to let a perfectly fine building decay in the first place. Letting him tear it down only justifies his negligence.

Let me ask everyone this: If the house next door (close enough to pass a salt shaker between windows) to you, was left to degrade by negligent landlord, how would you feel?

You said I like to play dumb, or maybe it’s not an act. I took that to mean, “or maybe you’re really just dumb and not playing”.

After you proudly proclaim that you never called me or anyone else names, you characterize my “debate tactics” as “Limbaughesque”. I’m so pleased that the name-calling stopped riiiiiiiiight….NOW.

I cease to discuss with you when you twist my words and change the meaning. I did not call you dumb. I said you play dumb. Big difference. (actually my true statement had the exact opposite meaning that you attribute to it) I have never called you names nor anyone else.

I will not even get into the twisting you did on the rest of my comments. Limboughesque debate tactics are unbecoming.

I love how you like to play dumb. Or maybe it is not an act.

Is there a point there? I don’t come to your house and call you dumb, so please try not to call me dumb again. It’s petulant, pathetic, and puerile.

The east side has many wonderful buildings. It is also the place that WNY has decided to concentrate the most socially incapable people in the area.

Really? WNY concentrated “socially incapable people” there? I’d love for you to elaborate on what constitutes a “socially incapable” person. On whose orders did “WNY” concentrate that type of person there? Do you realize how patently offensive that statement is – in two separate ways?

It is the place that many of the city’s public housing projects have been concentrated. It is a place cut up by highways. It is hardly comparable to Elmwood Village.

You’re right. It’s populated by poor and working-class people. Hardly comparable. People who are poor and working-class hardly have time to worry about turreted brick houses being torn down by wealthy Greek diner owners.

The fact that it does have some great buildings may be what saves the east side.

No, Steel. You said earlier:

The combination of many old and attractive buildings IS what makes this neighborhood Buffalo’s MOST successful neighborhood. These old buildings ARE what makes this the fastest appreciating real estate market in the metro area.

You credit the age and attractiveness of buildings with a thriving, successful neighborhood and fast-appreciating real estate prices. That’s a facile position to take, and the fact that the east side has buildings as old and attractive as anything on the west side, yet is neither as successful or fast-appreciating underscores how incorrect your statement was. It’s not buildings that make a neighborhood. It’s the people. And what those people do. And how they interact. And how they conduct their commerce.

But as long as the local economy maintains its decline there is no chance of that ever happening. Really how does the plight of the east side have anything to do with a very interesting and unique building on Elmwood. Are you saying that since most people do not have the strength to tackle the huge problems of the east side that this one is not worth caring about?

No. I’m using your own statement about the age and attractiveness of buildings being the key to success and market appreciation. If that were even remotely true, then the Central Terminal would be the among the most successful, most highly assessed buildings in the city. But it’s not.

If you want to argue that the Atwater house is worth saving, that’s great. You’re an architect, you can use all kinds of architectural jargon to explain exactly why it’s worth saving. Why it’s unique. But you don’t. Instead, you complain about what’s going to replace it. That’s not the issue. If the issue is preserving the building, the fact that it would be replaced by a parking lot shouldn’t matter any more than if FLW was brought back from the dead to build a new building there.

Sure Buffalo dropped the ball by not being proactive on this issue but does that mean that it should just accept ugliness as the only alternative. Elmwood as a strip mall is a bad idea

Again – that’s a bullshit statement, because no one is suggesting that Elmwood be a strip mall. I challenge you to point out where anyone suggested that it be replaced by “plastic” buildings or strip malls. In fact, many urbanists argue that it’s quite reasonable for businesses to place parking behind structures, so long as the building itself abuts the sidewalk. That’s what Pano is proposing, basically. So, let me ask you – if Pano suggested building out the whole property and placing parking underground, would that pass the Steel test of “attractiveness”? The Lex Coop has a parking lot, is that building “ugly”? Did it detract from the uniqueness, density, or success of Elmwood?

I love how you like to play dumb. Or maybe it is not an act. The east side has many wonderful buildings. It is also the place that WNY has decided to concentrate the most socially incapable people in the area. It is the place that many of the city’s public housing projects have been concentrated. It is a place cut up by highways. It is hardly comparable to Elmwood Village. The fact that it does have some great buildings may be what saves the east side. But as long as the local economy maintains its decline there is no chance of that ever happening. Really how does the plight of the east side have anything to do with a very interesting and unique building on Elmwood. Are you saying that since most people do not have the strength to tackle the huge problems of the east side that this one is not worth caring about?

Sure Buffalo dropped the ball by not being proactive on this issue but does that mean that it should just accept ugliness as the only alternative. Elmwood as a strip mall is a bad idea

“Surely there are other options and another more civic minded owner would appreciate them. ”

Perhaps, but the Atwater house has been something other than what the original designer and owner intended it to be for a long time. How long do we hold up development while we wait?

I don’t have the qualifications to judge either the historical or architectural significance of this particular house (although, I fail to see the attraction — looks like it was designed by someone experimenting with acid). But it appears that no one else stepped up.

Let me qualify that — no one else WITH MONEY stepped up. There’s been plenty stepping up to tell Panos how to spend HIS money.

BP’s original post on this says it best — “cool it and move on.”

All I know about Panos is what I see on TV. You know the ad. In the first frame, I see a plate of food that is supposed to look tantalizing but every time I see it I squir with disgust. I see a big dog’s claw on the plate. I swear it looks like a plate of dog’s paw. (Actually, I think its a piece of shrimp that for all the world looks like a dog’s claw)

I could not believe that Pano (or any responsible ad agency) would allow the ad to run for so long. I phoned the restaurant months ago and told the manager about it. She said she would relay the info to Pano, who was away at the time.

But the TV ad kept running. Hey, if they don’t care, I sure don’t care. Besides, some of that dog is damned fine eating, if you can catch ‘em young.