MICHIGAN STREET AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE CORRIDOR
Create a cooperative operating and business model and plan for capital improvements for a unified tourist destination around Michigan Street’s unique assets.
PROMOTING A ONE-OF-KIND TOURIST ATTRACTION
This project builds off the work of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor Commission to create a cohesive tourist destination around the concentration of historic assets between William Street and Broadway (the Michigan Street Baptist Church, the Nash House Museum, the Colored Musicians Club, and the WUFO Black Radio History Collective). Planning efforts will focus on formalizing a cooperative operating model that can support marketing, fundraising, and the day-to-day management of member institutions.
Capital investments such as upgrades to historic buildings, building expansions, ADA and safety compliance, streetscape improvements, community gathering spaces, and other critical amenities such as a visitor center will improve the visitor experience and better connect the assets to each other and downtown Buffalo. The goal is to create a unified tourist destination that will tell the story of Buffalo’s contribution to African American history while attracting new visitors from the region and around the world.
Local Program Administrators
WHY IT MATTERS
There is a need for increased consensus, cooperation and coordination along Michigan Street’s African American Heritage Corridor. The Michigan Street tourism assets are each independently operated and the African American Heritage Corridor Commission is a small umbrella organization that provides marketing for the sites. Building additional capacity within the Commission will help coordinate the efforts of each organization and create a unified master plan to maximize the opportunity of this unique location. Each of the historic sites has capital requirements that need to be addressed to better serve visitors. There is also a need to enhance pedestrian safety and connect all the assets in a way that serves as one unified destination.
STORIES
FROM THE MICHIGAN STREET AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE CORRIDOR
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