The little brick building at Hertel and Delaware avenues will once again serve as an educational institution in North Buffalo.
Italian
Cultural Center - Table of Contents
Italian-American
History in Buffalo - Table of Contents
Centro Culturale Italiano Di Buffalo
/ Italian Cultural Center
2351 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY
Centro Culturale Italiano Di Buffalo - Official Website (online September 13, 2022)
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Russell
J. Salvatore Courtyard - August 25, 2022 Photos
  Russell
J. Salvatore Courtyard
Looking northwest, Delaware Avenue at
the left   Looking south on Hertel Avenue Note marker on flagpole at left, shown below:   Looking east on Hertel Greetings From Hertel Avenue mural, by Nicole Cherry  The Clubhouse is the former North Park Branch Library, built in 1925 and shuttered in 2008 because of asbestos and lead paint. The library was relocated to a nearby plaza at 975 Hertel Avenue.  Note entrance Gibbs surround Building and GFRC statuary details below:   Slate roof with snow birds  Lion   Memorial engraved bricks walkway  Fountain details below:  Fountain detail #1 - Finial and gadroons  Fountain detail #2 - Gadroons  Fountain detail #3 - Lion gargoyles  Fountain detail #4 - Palmettes and egg-and-dart molding  Fountain detail #5 - Cornucopia  Lampposts details below:  Acanthus leaves and gadroons  Bird bath and benches  Bird bath: Ribbons in front of gadroons, flutes and acanthus leaves  Bench egg-and-dart molding  Three bench details below:  Bench detail #1  Bench detail #2 - Top  Bench detail #3 - Anthemia flanked by scroll buttresses decorated with acanthus leaves   Bocce ball court |
Shuttered North Park
library to Become Italian Cultural Center
The building, which has been vacant for more than 10 years and was under threat of demolition, was once the home of the North Park Branch Library. Now it's one step closer to becoming an Italian cultural and educational center. The Common Council's Legislation Committee recommended Tuesday the sale of the building to Centro Culturale Italiano Di Buffalo for $50,000. The center will feature an artifacts museum, a sitting room with a fireplace and a reception area with espresso bar and cafe. Developer Nick Sinatra donated a teaching kitchen, said John A. Vecchio, the principal fundraiser. The
organization hopes to have the cultural center up and
running in about a year, said Dr. Francesco Giacobbe,
president of the organization. The 5,592-square-foot building at 2351 Delaware Ave. was built in 1925. It was once a vibrant community cornerstone, but was closed and its collection moved in April 2008 because of asbestos and lead paint. The building has been vacant since then. The library was relocated to a nearby shopping plaza on Hertel Avenue. The former library was under threat of being demolished in 2015 when Benderson Development Co. wanted to tear it down to build a larger commercial-retail building on the site. The city also received at least two other proposals that involved razing the structure. But in 2017, CCI announced its plans for the renovation of the historic building. |
