Timber construction has started on the Buffalo Heritage Carousel project at Canalside. The project consists of a new building near the corner of Prime and Perry streets to house the near century old De Angelis Carousel. The carousel is planned to open in the summer of 2021.
New York State awarded a $1.2 million matching grant, funded by New York Power Authority, to begin the $5.8 million project; which includes $4 million for the roundhouse building, $1 million for the carousel, and $800,000 for operations. KeyBank and the First Niagara Foundation matched the state’s grant of $1.2 million.
“The De Angelis Carousel is a symbol of Buffalo’s proud history and its bright future, and we’re honored to help preserve this local gem for generations to come,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. “As we continue to reopen our economy and New Yorkers look to the outdoors more than ever, it’s critical that we remain committed to our efforts to revitalize the city’s once forgotten waterfront, which has transformed into a vibrant, must-see part of Buffalo.”
The heavy timber frame of the carousel building will be a hybrid of traditional timber framing and modern steel connected timber. The 27,250 board feet of wood is fabricated from Douglas Fir. The perimeter wood supports will be exposed on the exterior of the building, as well as exposed on the underside of the roof both inside and outside the building. The roof deck, made of two-by-four tongue and groove Douglas Fir, will also be exposed on both the inside and outside of the building.
