Learning from Buffalo

Buffalo, New York, which was once a prosperous city, is home to several architectural masterpieces built in the late 19th century to the early 20th century, such as the Darwin D. Martin House by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guaranty Building by Louis Sullivan, and Kleinhans Music Hall by Eliel and Eero Saarinen. While some important buildings, including the Larkin Building by Wright, were demolished, the preservation movement has been active for the past several years. Architecture is embraced as a treasure, but it can be a burden to the city at the same time. Like many other American cities, Buffalo has suffered from economic downturn for decades. Industries have left and the population has declined almost by half. One of the issues that Buffalo has been facing is vacant properties. Since 2000, the city has demolished thousands of vacant homes and buildings to clean up some neighborhoods, which created vacant lots in turn. Exploring the architecture and cityscape of the post-industrial American city, this film meditates on the relationship between architecture, city, society, and history.