A long-awaited project is finally taking off. The city of Buffalo has been trying to sell the North Park Library, located at the corner of Delaware and Hertel, since it closed in 2006. Now the library will be converted into an Italian Cultural Center.

"This was my library as a child. To see it back to community use as a meeting center, as an honor to all immigrants and a representation of the Italian contributions to Buffalo ... it's going to be a fantastic facility for everyone," said Tony Diina, Italian Cultural Center Fundraising Campaign vice chairman. 

According to city leaders, the Centro Culturale Italiano di Buffalo recently purchased the empty building from the city. This group has been working with local leaders to raise money for the redevelopment for the last few years. The City of Buffalo has granted $350,000 to the center.

"This is very exciting for the community, because this is a very highly-visible corner. This will be a place not only [welcoming] Italian Americans, but people from all over Western New York. It adds to the continued momentum we've seen on Hurtel Avenue," explained Joel Feroleto, of the Common Council Delaware District. 

This building is more than 90 years old and was granted landmark status by the Buffalo Common Council in 2017. The exterior will remain mostly the same; however, there is more work to be done on the inside, making it conducive to winter work. 

When finished, the Cultural Center will be ready to feature a heritage museum, a small educational library, cooking classes, and more. Now that the ground has been broken, many residents say they are happy to see the building will no longer be vacant.