The Buffalo Waterfront Housing, a public housing development later called the Shoreline Apartments, was commissioned in 1969 and completed in 1974. What was ultimately built was considerably reduced in scale and concept from architect Paul Rudolph’s original scheme, due in large part to financial concerns. His original scheme, composed of monumental, terraced, prefabricated housing structures, provided an ambitious alternative to high-rise dwelling that was meant to recall the complexity and intimacy of old European settlements. The complex that stands today represents a scaled down version of the original plan. Featuring shed roofs, ribbed or corduroy concrete exteriors, projecting balconies and enclosed garden courts, the project combined Rudolph’s spatial radicalism with experiments in human-scaled, low-rise, high-density housing developments. Following years of disrepair, a high vacancy rate, and other challenges, the complex was vacated and scheduled for demolition in 2016.