Cool Streets of Buffalo
10. Millionaire’s Mile
The Mansion on Delaware, Originally the home of Industrialist Charles F. Sternberg, now a luxury hotel run by CityInn Buffalo, LLC, the same proprietor as the Hotel Henry
Delaware Avenue, a roadway that runs north-south from the northern neighborhoods of Buffalo through downtown to Niagara Square, was the place to build a mansion at the turn of 20th-century. At that time Buffalo was prospering. Buffalo ranked as the eighth largest city in the country and it boasted 60 millionaires, more per capita than any other American city. The rich flaunted their financial fortunes with large mansions just outside of downtown Buffalo.
Their homes now serve as reminders of the Gilded Age and have been absorbed into the modern fabric of the city as it has grown and expanded over the past 100 plus years. The highest concentration of these mansions can be spotted on the west side of Delaware Avenue between North and Bryant Streets, an area designated as the Delaware Avenue Historic District. In this region you will find the stately George and Charles Williams Houses designed by the illustrious architecture firm of McKim, Mead & White, The Stephen M. Clement House, Thomas R. Lockwood House, and a handful more. You can stroll the street yourself and admire the facades or join a guided tour with Explore Buffalo to learn more history about each site and even go inside some of them!
11. Elmwood Village
Just steps from the Albright-Knox you’ll come upon the lively street of Elmwood Avenue, a thoroughfare which runs through the Elmwood Village neighborhood and is lined with independently owned shops and restaurants. This shopping district is the perfect to place to get souvenirs that are more sophisticated than shot glasses or magnets. Stores like Shopcraft, a gallery and gift shop where everything is crafted by local artists, usually by hand, are the type of establishments you’ll find as you stroll down the street. Other notable stops are Revolver Records, Talking Leaves Bookstore, and Everything Elmwood. If you get peckish, it’s easy to find a place to sample some of Buffalo’s distinct specialty food items, like a beef on weck sandwich (roast beef on a salty kummelweck roll) at Charlie the Butcher or sponge candy at Watson’s. Wander down the residential side streets to see some of Buffalo’s charming Victorian and Craftsmen style homes.
