(IN)TANGIBLE HERITAGE(S)
Abstract
On December 11, 2021, a windstorm blew a gaping multi-story hole in the north façade of the Great Northern, the oldest surviving grain elevator in Buffalo, New York. Opened in 1897, this rare steel-bin elevator with its brick-box shell once was the largest grain elevator in the U.S. Not only did the hole open a view into the interior of the structure, but, also, it opened a look at the intangible histories associated with the building’s role in global grain transport in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and the labor history associated with it. It is well known that after the 1825 Erie Canal opening, Midwestern-grown grain was transported to Buffalo where it was stored in silos before being transported via the canal to the east coast and onward to world markets. As a result, Buffalo became the world’s largest grain shipping port, a title it held for a century, until the 1959 opening of the Saint Lawrence Seaway, which allowed direct access between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. What is less well known is that socio-culturally, the Great Northern (and its attendant grain silos and mills) embodies the stories of immigration and labor unions in the U.S. The promise of work in the grain industry brought immigrants from many countries including Italy, Germany, Poland, and Ireland to Buffalo in the early 19th century. Union organization on Buffalo’s waterfront began in the mid-19th century with scoopers and longshoremen. In the landmark 1899 Grain Shoveler’s Strike, workers protested dramatic wage cuts. By stranding an armada of grain ships in Lake Erie, the Irish workers who unloaded their cargo holds overthrew an oppressive contract labor system that gave “saloon bosses” control of the waterfront. This strike marked the beginning of a series of labor disputes throughout the early to mid-20th century that focused on worker’s rights and safety, and serves as a prime example of the struggles of unions and organized labor at that time. This paper and presentation discuss ways that the materiality of the Great Northern reveals its social history. It will tie the construction and formal attributes of the building with the activities of those who worked there.
Gregory Delaney is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Architecture at the University at Buffalo, where he teaches courses in architecture history, building and urban analysis, and studios in architecture and urban design.
As someone who straddles many domains, his work operates in the liminal, intra-disciplinary spaces between design and history/theory/criticism; architecture and urban design; and speculative provocation and historic preservation. He is guided—both in thought and teaching—by an interest in lateral-thinking, advancing a middle space to work across disciplinary domains and better engage and promote public discourse around architecture and design. As core research and teaching methodology, he is dedicated to advancing student knowledge and engagement through site visits, community engagement, travel, and other forms of experiential learning. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University’s Knowlton School, where he received both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees and taught courses in architecture and landscape architecture before moving to Buffalo in 2011.
Beth Tauke is associate professor in the Department of Architecture. Her research focuses on design education and inclusive design, specifically the empowerment of underrepresented groups through design. Professor Tauke has been a co-principal investigator of three National Endowment for the Arts grants: Universal Design Identity Program, Bridging the Gap: Increasing Access to Universal Design to Meet the Needs of African American Communities, and The State of Universal Design Education in University-Level Design Curricula. She is co-author of Inclusive Design: Implementation and Evaluation (Routledge, 2018), and co-editor of Diversity and Design: Understanding Hidden Consequences (Routledge, 2016), and Universal Design, New York (NYC Mayor’s Office, 2001). She has published over one hundred articles in books, academic journals and conference proceedings; and has given over one hundred talks at academic conferences here and abroad. Professor Tauke’s honors include a National Institute for Architectural Education Award, the American Collegiate Schools of Architecture Robert R. Taylor Award, the Lily Endowment Teaching Award, the Gary Day Award, the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, the President Emeritus and Mrs. Meyerson Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching and Mentoring, and an American Institute of Architects – Western New York Chapter: Outstanding Mentor Award. Her primary professional goal is to encourage universities worldwide to include courses in their general education programs that address the importance of design in our diverse society. She sees this as an essential element of 21st century education.
9:30 pm - 11:00 pm
Thursday 16th June, 2022