Sitting Pretty at the Outer Harbor
The chairs and benches that now dot the Outer Harbor might seem like small fish. But they're a step in making the space appealing to people who might only remember it as barren.
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Benches overlook the grain elevators on the Outer Harbor.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
"Some of the best opportunities to view the most amazing sunsets on Lake Erie. Period," said Sam Hoyt, who has been involved in the Outer Harbor project as regional president of the Empire State Development Corp.
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Benches made of lumber framed in steel on the boardwalk on Fuhrman Boulevard on the Outer Harbor.
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The Buffalo News counted 95 benches, 90 chairs, 162 wood and concrete tables, and four chair swings on the Outer Harbor.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
An Adirondack chair with a back made of driftwood in the meadow at Wilkeson Pointe.
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A few of the benches are in isolated locations while many others are clustered in seating groups.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Adirondack chairs and a swinging bench on a burm in the Outer Harbor.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Along the Greenway Nature Trail to the south is a strip of benches, each a black marble slate mounted on curling stone offering incredible views.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Italian marble and pieces of pillars frame the walkways at Wilkeson Pointe. They're remnants of buildings once dumped along the waterfront for erosion control.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Dawn Price of Kenmore takes in the view at Wilkeson Pointe from atop a marble remnant from the original Manufactureres and Traders National Bank Building which was demolished in 1959 and is now used as benches in Wilkeson Pointe.
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Benches are the predominant kind of seating at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
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Adirondack chairs on the beach at Wilkeson Pointe.
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A wood bench at Wilkeson Pointe is one of at least 95 benches along the Outer Harbor.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
A stone bench on the Greenway Nature Trail in the Outer Harbor.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
The early morning sky can be seen from eight Adirondack chairs and a chair swing on a field near Wilkeson Pointe.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Tables at Gallagher Pier give visitors a place to eat and drink.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Benches line the trail near Lake Erie at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
State Parks worker AJ Satcher sets up Adirondack chairs on the beach at Wilkeson Pointe.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
The shelter includes 17 tables at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
A stone bench offer a view of Safe Harbor Marina and Lake Erie.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
A bench at Wilkeson Pointe offers a view of Buffalo's skyline.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
A bench at Buffalo Harbor State Park offers view of Lake Erie and the city's industrial heritage.
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A swinging chair in the meadow at Wilkeson Pointe.
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These are among the 13 chairs and two picnic tables clustered together at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
These are among the many benches with a view of Safe Harbor Marina.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Marble remnants have been turned into benches at Wilkeson Pointe.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Past those, on the Industrial Heritage Trail, sit beams of grayed wood bound together and raised an inch or two off the ground. In between them stand iron cylinders that look like ladder cages with signs explaining the history of the harbor's heyday.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Seating underneath a wood structure offer a view of boats coming back to the marina from Lake Erie.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
A swinging chair near Wilkeson Pointe.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
An oversized chair, with its back to Lake Erie, offers a view of Buffalo and the Skyway instead.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Picnic table at Wilkeson Pointe gives visitors a place to sit.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Stone bench offers a place to sit along the trail at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
This one of several benches at the playground at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
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Pavilion at Wilkeson Pointe offers some protection from the elements.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Bench at Safe Harbor Marina offers a good view of the boats.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Dozens of chairs and tables are clustered at Wilkeson Pointe overlooking Lake Erie.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
A bench made of lumber framed in steel on the boardwalk on Fuhrman Boulevard.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Italian marble remnants can be used for sitting at Wilkeson Pointe.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Structure offers a seat along the Industrial Heritage Trail.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Benches along the Greenway Nature Trail are a good place to watch crew teams practice early in the morning.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Marble remnants from the original Manufactureres and Traders National Bank Building which was demolished in 1959 are used as seating and sculpture in Wilkeson Pointe.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Several stone benches can be found along the trail at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
A few benches are near the Times Beach Nature Preserve.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Adirondack chairs are clustered at Safe Harbor Marina.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Jennifer Ivanoski of Buffalo sits in an Adirondack chair with a book in the Safe Harbor Marina in Outer Harbor State Park.
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Cluster of Adirondack chairs offer view of Lake Erie.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
A stone bench on the breakwater that surrounds the marina at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Wood bench along the Industrial Heritage Trail.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
Marble remnants from the original Manufactureres and Traders National Bank Building which was demolished in 1959 are used as benches in Wilkeson Pointe.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
A bench made of lumber on the boardwalk on Fuhrmann Boulevard.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Steps on the breakwater that surrounds the marina at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
A stone bench on the breakwater that surrounds the marina at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
A concrete bench amid an industrial display on the bike path along Fuhrmann Boulevard.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
A stone bench on the breakwater by the marina at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Patrick Lakamp/Buffalo News
A stone bench on the breakwater that surrounds the marina at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
A stone bench on the breakwater that surrounds the marina at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
A bench overlooking the marina at Buffalo Harbor State Park.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
Benches along the Industrial Heritage Trail.
A swinging chair in the meadow at Wilkeson Pointe.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
A cyclist passes a bench made of lumber framed in steel on the boardwalk on Fuhrman Boulevard.
Derek Gee/Buffalo News
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Thursday, January 11, 2018
Find a seat — there are plenty at Wilkeson Pointe on Buffalo's Outer Harbor. More than 350 seats, in fact, clustered in some 50 locations along the nearly 3-mile stretch.
Make your way to the park on Buffalo's second waterfront, and you can take your pick among low-riding tandem chairs, branch-and-bark Adirondack swings and stone or wooden benches. Or you can sit on Italian marble and pieces of pillars that frame the walkways – remnants of buildings once dumped along the lakefront for erosion control.
This is the second summer for expanded seating on the Outer Harbor, and little by little, the goal of narrowing the gulf between the once-industrial graveyard and visitor-busy Canalside seems on its way.
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