Canalside 

In Buffalo, the city re-created a segment of the Old Erie Canal called Canalside.  Canalside, formerly known as Canal Side is a commercial and residential district in downtown Buffalo.  It is the re-creation of the western terminus of the Erie Canal which was destroyed in the early 20th century.  Canalside is situated on the Buffalo River and is a popular destination for locals and tourists. The area has water in the spring/summer and ice in the winter for skating and ice biking called The Ice at Canalside.

In 2021, a rare three-row highly restored vintage 1924 Buffalo Heritage Carousel began operations in a new 6,400-square-foot octagonal-shaped pavilion.  It comes with tall windows and a 13-foot wide walkway around the inside of the roundhouse and is powered by solar panels on its double-pitched roof that supplies enough energy to power the carousel.

How an Antique Carousel Came to Live in Buffalo, New York

A group of volunteers and professional collaborated to restore and rebuilt this carousel.  A nearly century-old carousel has risen on the Buffalo, New York waterfront!  After a four-year, $2 million restoration paid for by public and private funding, the Buffalo Heritage Carousel began spinning on Memorial Day weekend 2021.  It offered rides for $1 a pop!  Originally commissioned by a New England amusement park owner and built by the Spillman Engineering Corporation in North Tonawanda, New York the carousel had operated in Massachusetts and then spent 65 year in storage before arriving in Buffalo!

The challenge was to make this once-beautiful carousel beautiful again.

Helen Ronan, Project Co-Leader

The project entailed the return of more than 30 hand-carved animals to North Tonawanda, where master carver and carousel restoration specialist, Patrick Stanczyk oversaw volunteers who stripped, sanded and primed the whole menagerie.  Rosa Patton, another well-known carousel expert instructed volunteers on the proper painting technique and team used what was left of the old paint layers to get as close as possible to the original hues.

The addition of a rooftop solar array to the new, $4 million roundhouse containing the carousel honors Buffalo's history as a sustainable energy hub.  

Buffalo has been a center for hydropower since the 1901 PanAm exposition which featured lighting powered by hydroelectricity. We wanted to create a sustainable carousel that could be enjoyed by generations to come.

Carima El-Behairy, Director of Operations and Development for Buffalo Heritage Carousel, Inc. 

Members of the Buffalo Heritage Carousel, Inc. (a local non-profit) are responsible for the carousel's return.