There’s a Secret ‘Hidden’ Road In Buffalo You Didn’t Know Existed

I've lived all over Western New York. I grew up in the northtowns and then spent time in the southtowns, before moving to South Buffalo, which is where I currently reside.

Commuting to and from work every day, you see the same streets. The same intersections. The same stoplights. After a while, it becomes second nature.

However, I noticed something different driving to work this week.

Working in downtown Buffalo can be pretty cool because of all the unique architecture, but as you can imagine, space is limited. That's why it was so cool to discover a street that honestly, I had zero that this was even a street.

It's called Blossom Street and is located between Broadway and E. Huron. It's a stone's throw away from Lafayette Square.

The reason you may have not noticed or heard of it before is that it looks more like an alley than an actual road. It does still have stop signs and is designated as a street by the City of Buffalo.

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The street is named after Ira Allen Blossom, who was an assistant to Joseph Ellicott.

Blossom moved to Buffalo in his 20s and eventually was appointed receiver of the Buffalo branch with the Bank of America in the 1840s. This is where he helped young businessmen in Buffalo start their careers with money he lent them.

Blossom later partnered with Lewis Allen to lease what is now the current site of the Ellicott Square Building in downtown Buffalo. Blossom was known for his kindness and generosity towards worthy projects and taking care of the homeless, which was rare in the mid-1800s.

When he died, he was buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery, and eventually, Blossom Street was named after him.

The street has old windows bricked and painted over, which used to overlook the street. It was a more busy road many, many years ago but eventually became more of an alley access as time went on. The City of Buffalo still calls it a street and you can cut through Blossom Street to get to Broadway or E. Huron.