The Aud Thread

[Augie]

43 minutes ago, T&C said:

Did you bathe at the beach?

 

 

I guess there was no truth in advertising back then! Let’s see, the French Riviera......or Crystal Beach?   🤷‍♂️

 

 

We could walk to the beach and the park. Bakery with Cinnamon rolls about halfway. That nasty sand would burn my little feet as I strolled to my bathing location! 

[Nextmanup]

http://www.forgottenbuffalo.com/forgottenbflofeatures/insidetheaud.html

[4_kidd_4]

23 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

http://www.forgottenbuffalo.com/forgottenbflofeatures/insidetheaud.html

 

A bunch of those are my pics, I used to have them posted on a friend’s site.

 

I ain’t even mad though, I’m glad ppl enjoy them.

the bottom pic here is mine. wow what a difference in 4 years. like i said previously, downhill quick once they cut the power.

[ExiledInIllinois]

My older sister worked @ the Aud Club... She actually got my younger sister her first job working at The Hatch (Erie Basin) during the summer. The two were affiliated I believe.   Trying to remember some of the stories they told about when the Knox' owned the Sabres. 

 

Interesting story about the catastrophic seiche that hit Buffalo in 1844.  The "Great Buffalo Flood of 1844"... It's why the breakwaters were built to prevent future devastating seiche events.  Where the Aud was going to be built was under 10 feet of water during that flood of 1844:

 

A seiche is an inland tidal wave.  Yup... The tidal wave that hit Buffalo right where the Aud would be built.  😆

 

https://www.buffalohistorygazette.net/2010/09/the-lake-erie-seiche-disaster-of-1844.html?m=1

 

This one's for:

@BringBackFergy

&

@Beerball

 

😃

Edited February 17, 2021 by ExiledInIllinois

[4_kidd_4]

 This shot reminds me that i also own one of those glass light covers, it’s safely tucked in my house, idk how or where I could mount it to the ceiling.

 

It popped up on ebay, a guy on the demo crew had several for sale. He said he asked the boss if he could salvage stuff and was given the “OK”.

[May Day 10]

I hate the pictures of the aud from the break-ins and the demo photos.  I appreciate the sharing of them, they are just sad.  Whenever you look for aud stuff, that is all that comes up.

 

The public needs to come together, collaborate and curate aud photos and stuff out of personal collections.  There really isnt all that much out there digitally.  I started to post some full-games on youtube and some others have as well which helps.

 

 

It is criminal what the team and city did with the aud post-1996.  So many artifacts lost and destroyed forever.  Rigas had zero interest in the team's past, as he wanted an Adelphia 'expansion team'.

 

As far as the aud goes.  I have a few full sized limestone bricks.  A little piece of rubble.  A set of 3 Blue/gray seats that need restoration, and a section of dasher boards with a Nynex ad on them.   

 

[4_kidd_4]

@May Day 10

 

I agree w your post, but I don’t totally blame Rigas. The city & county had plenty of time to do something besides let it sit and rot. They were too busy chasing that Bass Pro boondoggle and had no plan B.

 

I always though it should have been at least partially incorporated into the overall Canalside plan. I do understand there was no saving or repurposing the entire building, mostly due to hazmat concerns, including asbestos and lead paint.

 

However I thought they should have preserved the front facade in place, similar to what they  did at the Old Rockpile.  It would have made a great signature gateway to Canalside, and also as a memorial to the Aud itself. Not to mention the historical and architectural significance of EB Green & Wicks art deco style.

[Rico]

Awesome pics, thanks!

 

My first time in the Aud was for one of those Sabres open practices they did every year. My last time was Bowie 1983 Serious Moonlight tour. 

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

Can we merge this Crystal Beach... We snuck in after it closed.   I got a "souvenir" from the "Laff in the Dark" ride... 😆... 

 

Blush... One of our finest moment as a drunk 19 year old in Ontario...  😉

[Nextmanup]

15 hours ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

 

A bunch of those are my pics, I used to have them posted on a friend’s site.

 

I ain’t even mad though, I’m glad ppl enjoy them.

the bottom pic here is mine. wow what a difference in 4 years. like i said previously, downhill quick once they cut the power.

I thought that was you; that's why I posted it here.

 

You and I have "talked" somewhere else, though I'm not sure where right now.

 

Hfboards? Sabrespace? 

 

Your urban exploration of the Aud after it was shutdown is really cool; I think I have one of your photographs as my avatar at another site!

 

I find these photographs of the Aud to be really compelling.  They transform me to another time and place.  

 

I think it has to do with a few things.  First, I didn't grow up in a household with season tickets and it was always a rare and special event for me to attend a game at the Aud.  Second, a lot of this came in my childhood, so I am dealing with somewhat mirky memories, though not all mirky.

 

Third, I am struck by the interesting juxtaposition of the old, rundown nature of the Aud as balanced against the fondness I have for the building in my mind's eye.  

 

It really was an old, no-frills, kind of gross place!  And yet I have *nothing* but really fond memories of being in the building.  I think a lot of that comes from being a kid and it being an interesting adventure to be there. 

 

The ramps!  The steepness of the seats and stairs!  The utter intimacy of the building!  The crowd noise!  The way the boards and  glass shook like a tidal wave behind the nets when someone threw a big hit on the end wall!   

 

The way those "sand bag" sound damper things swung violently up at the ceiling, being moved by nothing more than sonic energy! 

 

I would replace the current building with an exact copy of the Aud (with all of its blemishes!) tomorrow if I had the power to do so.

 

I attended the very first game ever played at the new building; it was a pre-season game against the Maple Leafs.  I didn't like the building then and it never really grew on me after.

 

 

[Nextmanup]

14 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

My older sister worked @ the Aud Club... She actually got my younger sister her first job working at The Hatch (Erie Basin) during the summer. The two were affiliated I believe.   Trying to remember some of the stories they told about when the Knox' owned the Sabres. 

 

Interesting story about the catastrophic seiche that hit Buffalo in 1844.  The "Great Buffalo Flood of 1844"... It's why the breakwaters were built to prevent future devastating seiche events.  Where the Aud was going to be built was under 10 feet of water during that flood of 1844:

 

A seiche is an inland tidal wave.  Yup... The tidal wave that hit Buffalo right where the Aud would be built.  😆

 

https://www.buffalohistorygazette.net/2010/09/the-lake-erie-seiche-disaster-of-1844.html?m=1

 

This one's for:

@BringBackFergy

&

@Beerball

 

😃

During what years was your younger sister working at the Hatch?

 

I am very good friends with a guy who kind of ran The Hatch for a while during high school and college.

 

I'm wondering if I know your sister; Buffalo is such a small place.

 

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

Just now, Nextmanup said:

During what years was your younger sister working at the Hatch?

 

I am very good friends with a guy who kind of ran The Hatch for a while during high school and college.

 

I'm wondering if I know your sister; Buffalo is such a small place.

 

 

Late 80s,

Early 1990s...

[May Day 10]

The new building was a terrible design.  The grade of the seats and footprint are large. Too large.  Similar to its contemporaries, but some, like Montreal and Toronto, were built with the seating overall closer to the ice.  In the current arena, if you are in the upper corners, you might as well be in another zip code.  About half of the seats in the 100 level are a complete obstruction where you need to watch much of the game on the video screen.

 

Also add in that awful bubble ceiling that sucks any atmosphere and ambiance right out of the building

[Nextmanup]

1 minute ago, May Day 10 said:

The new building was a terrible design.  The grade of the seats and footprint are large. Too large.  Similar to its contemporaries, but some, like Montreal and Toronto, were built with the seating overall closer to the ice.  In the current arena, if you are in the upper corners, you might as well be in another zip code.  About half of the seats in the 100 level are a complete obstruction where you need to watch much of the game on the video screen.

 

Also add in that awful bubble ceiling that sucks any atmosphere and ambiance right out of the building

I'm pretty sure there are now building codes that would prohibit a new Aud from being built.

The idea being that the old buildings were too steep to safely get people out of them in case of a fire. 

 

I have never really dug into that, though, and don't know the specifics.

It would make sense that TO and MON might be better, as they aren't in the USA and they have their own legal system to deal with.

 

Are any of the new generation of American buildings really steep like in the old days?  I didn't think so, but I don't really know.  I've been in the buildings for Lightning, Panthers, and Caps.  They are all the same as the new building in Buffalo...very gentle incline.

 

 

 

8 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Late 80s,

Early 1990s...

That's the right time!

 

But I'm mis-remembering here.  My buddy didn't run the Hatch.

He ran the little convenience store in the bottom of the light house at the end of the point; they also had a gas pump for gassing up the boats.

 

I'm sure he would still have known your sister as it was a little world down there at the marina and everyone knew everyone.

 

The lighthouse:

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

5 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

I'm pretty sure there are now building codes that would prohibit a new Aud from being built.

The idea being that the old buildings were too steep to safely get people out of them in case of a fire. 

 

I have never really dug into that, though, and don't know the specifics.

It would make sense that TO and MON might be better, as they aren't in the USA and they have their own legal system to deal with.

 

Are any of the new generation of American buildings really steep like in the old days?  I didn't think so, but I don't really know.  I've been in the buildings for Lightning, Panthers, and Caps.  They are all the same as the new building in Buffalo...very gentle incline.

 

 

 

That's the right time!

 

But I'm mis-remembering here.  My buddy didn't run the Hatch.

He ran the little convenience store in the bottom of the light house at the end of the point; they also had a gas pump for gassing up the boats.

 

I'm sure he would still have known your sister as it was a little world down there at the marina and everyone knew everyone.

 

The lighthouse:

 

Yup!  Before the Erie Basin Marina... It was a rail yard.  Coal/ore unloading.  My father worked on Delaware-Lackawanna & later Erie-Lack... Loading, he said there was a big ramp, gravity driven I believe... If you missed your spot,  one would have to ditch/jump in to the water... 

[May Day 10]

23 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

I'm pretty sure there are now building codes that would prohibit a new Aud from being built.

The idea being that the old buildings were too steep to safely get people out of them in case of a fire. 

 

I have never really dug into that, though, and don't know the specifics.

It would make sense that TO and MON might be better, as they aren't in the USA and they have their own legal system to deal with.

 

Are any of the new generation of American buildings really steep like in the old days?  I didn't think so, but I don't really know.  I've been in the buildings for Lightning, Panthers, and Caps.  They are all the same as the new building in Buffalo...very gentle incline.

 

 

 

 

 

I do remember hearing that the Canadiens payed a fine or something so they could have a steeper grade.

 

I have been to a number of contemporary buildings.  Philly and Boston do seem a few degrees closer/steeper than the Sabres' arena with better building materials and better sight lines.  It isnt only grade.  It is how far back the upper level is without an overhang.  The way our suites were set up as well as the 200 level, the 300 level is a mile away.  I do believe it is similar to Washington (but no bubble roof).

 

 

Venue designers have changed their tune recently though.  The new ballpark in Arlington was built with the old ballparks in mind and bringing fans closer to the field.

 

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/mlbs-newest-ballpark-is-a-shift-away-from-retro-era-stadiums/

[WhoTom]

This thread brings back memories. My older sister and her husband used to take me to Braves and Sabres games when I was a kid. (I even saw Kareem when the Braves played the Bucks.)

 

As I got older, I saw my first few concerts at the Aud. I think the last time I was in the building was for the Doobie Brothers in '89. My wife and I had floor seats, near the back. When we arrived, the sound board was where our seats should have been. We found an usher who looked at our tickets and said, "Follow me - we have upgrades for you." Got to the office where they handed us a pair of tickets about ten rows from the stage - so close, I could see Tom Johnston's earring.

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

2 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

This thread brings back memories. My older sister and her husband used to take me to Braves and Sabres games when I was a kid. (I even saw Kareem when the Braves played the Bucks.)

 

As I got older, I saw my first few concerts at the Aud. I think the last time I was in the building was for the Doobie Brothers in '89. My wife and I had floor seats, near the back. When we arrived, the sound board was where our seats should have been. We found an usher who looked at our tickets and said, "Follow me - we have upgrades for you." Got to the office where they handed us a pair of tickets about ten rows from the stage - so close, I could see Tom Johnston's earring.

 

We used to collect the Dairylea milk cartons and redeem the free Braves tickets.   Sit in the Oranges... Where my lifelong vertigo started! 😆

 

Semi-vertigo.  😆... I am totally afraid of heights,  just unprotected falling up steep steps! 😉

[4_kidd_4]

4 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

I thought that was you; that's why I posted it here.

 

You and I have "talked" somewhere else, though I'm not sure where right now.

 

Hfboards? Sabrespace? 

 

Your urban exploration of the Aud after it was shutdown is really cool; I think I have one of your photographs as my avatar at another site!

 

I find these photographs of the Aud to be really compelling.  They transform me to another time and place.  

 

I think it has to do with a few things.  First, I didn't grow up in a household with season tickets and it was always a rare and special event for me to attend a game at the Aud.  Second, a lot of this came in my childhood, so I am dealing with somewhat mirky memories, though not all mirky.

 

Third, I am struck by the interesting juxtaposition of the old, rundown nature of the Aud as balanced against the fondness I have for the building in my mind's eye.  

 

It really was an old, no-frills, kind of gross place!  And yet I have *nothing* but really fond memories of being in the building.  I think a lot of that comes from being a kid and it being an interesting adventure to be there. 

 

The ramps!  The steepness of the seats and stairs!  The utter intimacy of the building!  The crowd noise!  The way the boards and  glass shook like a tidal wave behind the nets when someone threw a big hit on the end wall!   

 

The way those "sand bag" sound damper things swung violently up at the ceiling, being moved by nothing more than sonic energy! 

 

I would replace the current building with an exact copy of the Aud (with all of its blemishes!) tomorrow if I had the power to do so.

 

I attended the very first game ever played at the new building; it was a pre-season game against the Maple Leafs.  I didn't like the building then and it never really grew on me after.

 

 

 

I was a casual on hfboards, so possibly there.

 

And we have the same experiences/memories about the Aud. It was definitely always a treat for us, and if it wasn’t for the generosity of my grandfather’s boss (they were also pretty good friends) I would have went to way less Sabres games in my youth.

 

And for the record, I’m with you all on the arena. That place blows. So cavernous and sterile.

[Nextmanup]

5 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

We used to collect the Dairylea milk cartons and redeem the free Braves tickets.   Sit in the Oranges... Where my lifelong vertigo started! 😆

 

Semi-vertigo.  😆... I am totally afraid of heights,  just unprotected falling up steep steps! 😉

 

 

6 hours ago, WhoTom said:

This thread brings back memories. My older sister and her husband used to take me to Braves and Sabres games when I was a kid. (I even saw Kareem when the Braves played the Bucks.)

 

As I got older, I saw my first few concerts at the Aud. I think the last time I was in the building was for the Doobie Brothers in '89. My wife and I had floor seats, near the back. When we arrived, the sound board was where our seats should have been. We found an usher who looked at our tickets and said, "Follow me - we have upgrades for you." Got to the office where they handed us a pair of tickets about ten rows from the stage - so close, I could see Tom Johnston's earring.

 

My first ever concert was seeing Foreigner at the Aud, with Billy Squier opening.

 

I'm guessing it was around 1980. 

 

I was little kid and if you can believe it, my mom took me, my older sister, and her best friend.

 

I remember the lights going on at the intermission and the entire auditorium was filled with one giant smoke cloud that hung up near the ceiling.  Probably made up of about 50% cigarette smoke and 50% pot.

 

LOL