The Hispanic Heritage Cultural Institute received the green light it needed from the Buffalo Planning Board this week, clearing the way for the $22 million venture that will create a new cultural, educational and artistic center in the heart of Buffalo’s Lower West Side.
Designed by Stieglitz Snyder Architecture and LaBella Associates, the project envisions construction of a three-story civic building on vacant land at the northwest corner of Niagara and Hudson streets that the nonprofit has been assembling for years. It will feature a mix of community space, cultural attractions and incubator space.
Promoted by the Hispanic Heritage Council of Western New York, the focus of the new institute “is to celebrate Hispanic arts, culture and heritage, nurturing a spirit of community and intergenerational learning, while contributing to the growth and vibrancy of our city and region,” according to documents filed with the city.
Plans call for a 37,000-square-foot building at 462 Niagara that will house a museum and art gallery, gift shop, cafeteria, 150-seat performing arts theater, large event space, media center for radio or television broadcasts, learning labs, artisan and teaching kitchen, rooftop gardens and administrative offices.
The gallery will focus on highlighting local artists. The theater will be home to the Raices Theatre Company, and will host productions, panels and a speaker series. It will also be available for rent as a multi-function assembly space for local schools, churches and other clubs or organizations.
And the media center will be designed to house a radio or TV station that officials hope to start using a low-power FM frequency that officials are asking the Federal Communications Commission to identify. That will enable the institute to reach the estimated 45,000 Hispanics in Buffalo and 75,000 in Western New York, while providing real-world learning…
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