Date/Time
Date(s) - 04/09/2026
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Location
Eugene V. Debs Hall
Categories
Summary: This lecture will cover the history and impact of Buffalo’s Belt Line Railroad, which Chris Hawley calls the “third strand of Buffalo’s DNA” and a critical factor in the city’s physical development from the late nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. This freight and commuter rail route circled Buffalo and connected its working class neighborhoods, including Black Rock and Broadway Fillmore, to employment centers across the city.
About our speaker: Back by popular demand after his presentations for PGSNYS in 2024 and 2025, Chris Hawley has been a City Planner with Buffalo’s Office of Strategic Planning since 2010. He possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Metropolitan Studies from New York University, and has previously worked for developer Howard Zemsky and U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer. He lives in the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood with his cat, Sputnik, and dog, Brazen, above Eugene V. Debs Hall.
Venue: This special event will be held at Eugene V. Debs Hall, a social club with a vintage 1914 bar, located at 483 Peckham Street on Buffalo’s East Side, a few blocks down from St. Stanislaus church. Beer (all local!), wine, and pop will be available for sale. Please note that there is no off-street parking, but there is plenty of on-street parking available.
