Commercial Slip
Buffalo, New York's Commercial Slip is a re-excavated and restored portion of the western terminus of the Erie Canal. The area is located in the Erie Canal Harbor development and is adjacent to the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.
History
The Slip was a remnant of Little Buffalo Creek, which flowed into the Buffalo River just before the larger stream entered Lake Erie. The Commercial Slip formed one boundary of Buffalo's infamous Canal District, and was filled in when the district was marked for urban renewal in the 1950s. By that time, the New York State Thruway and the Skyway had been built over the Canal district, and the Commercial Slip was buried and forgotten.
Rebirth
In the late 1990s, public authorities began showing an interest in reviving Buffalo’s Erie Canal heritage. Initially, plans called for re-creating some buried elements of the Canal. However a public outcry, with pressure from citizens’ groups and the local media, convinced the planners to excavate and restore actual portions of the district, including the Commercial Slip.
Completed in 2008, Phase 2 of inner harbor plan laid out by the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation consisted of:[1]
- A re-watered navigable Commercial Slip in alignment with the original Commercial Slip.
- A towpath/walkway on the west and east sides of the Commercial Slip.
- Construction of a bowstring truss bridge.
- Commercial Street reconstructed and made available for service and emergency access.
- Steamboat Hotel and Lloyd Street ruins uncovered and preserved as an archeological site with a combination hard and grass surface.
- Site of the former Union Block as an interpreted site with a grassy, sloped lawn.
Present day
Today, the Slip is a vibrant focal point on Buffalo’s waterfront, offering a look back into the City’s storied Canal Street days.
References
- ↑ "ECHDC Website". Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation. Retrieved May 17, 2012.