The Buffalo Maritime Center at 90 Arthur Street in the Riverside/Black Rock section of Buffalo is a 28,000 square foot educational facility. When you walk in the main door, you will see a full variety of boat types from a kayak through to a 38’ replica of the sloop of war, USS Trippe, the smallest ship to fight in the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. There are three elegant classic wooden sailboats, a classic Lyman runabout, and BMC’s own replica of an 1880s Lake Erie Shallop, Scajaquada, of the sort that would have been used in the commercial fishery of Lake Erie. All of these boats are undergoing major restorations. New boats being built include a smaller shallop that is to be used as an educational platform for BMC’s on-the-water programs. In other corners of the shop a lovely double ended lapstrake St. Ayles Skiff is being built as part of our hands-on educational program with Riverside Academy.

Though our boat projects in the main shop do turnover as boats are finished and launched, you’ll be sure to always see student projects led by BMC mentors as well as BMC volunteer boatbuilding projects of boats that are to support on-the-water programming or that are of historic interest. The BMC is also home to our partner organization, the Niagara Frontier Antique and Classic Boat Society, which is filled with classic wooden runabouts being restored by talented boatbuilders.

In addition to all of these projects, you’ll see our Hand-to-Hand Student Boatbuilding Classroom, an exhibition space, a metal shop, a model shop, a bronze foundry, and our gift shop. And that’s just on the first floor! Upstairs, we have our archives and our library and, currently, a 68’ table we affectionately call the longest table in Western New York. This table is located in the Lofting Room and was used to loft the lines used to make patterns for the Erie Canal Boat.

Be sure to stop in and take a look around!