This story begins at the corner of Washington Street and Broadway in downtown Buffalo.
- Downtown Buffalo now has a Reading Park
- It's located at the corner of Washington Street and Broadway at the Central Library
- Special events will be held year-round
"This is an old abandoned right-of-way for Broadway," said Mary Jean Jakubowski, director of the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library System.
Jakubowski got tired of looking at the plot of land wasting away. So she asked city leaders for some help to expand the Central Library's kingdom.
"The city designated this as city parkland," Jakubowski said. "Through our work with the city and the heart of the community grant, we were able to create this very warm and inviting space."
With the magic of rezoning and the $100,000 grant from Southwest Airlines, two years later the Reading Park was born.
"Our goal, of course, is to bring the library outdoors," she said.
Jakubowski said over the years, the library has been battling the divide technology has created.
"We've had a little bit of a shift, we know that downloadable materials are on the rise," she said. "People are using their tablet and smart phones for reading, they are reading. That makes me excited. But, we are always going to be about the physical book."
After all, the greatest weapon in life is knowledge. What better way to be prepared than picking up a book?
"Reading is really critical for the development of children and all through our lives we grow and we learn,” she said.
Jakubowski said the other war is connecting Buffalo from east to west and north to south.
“The Reading Park is sort of like our community rooms, it’s just outdoors and so it is a community space and that’s what it’s all about,” she said. “It’s about being a part of the community and feeling like you belong.”
Take a journey to the downtown building, grab a book and a chair and write the rest of this story from here.
The Reading Park is open 24/7 365 days a week, yes even during the winter, there will be activities as well.