Alfreda's

Address

192 Broadway Buffalo, NY 14203

Establishment Type(s)

Grill, Restaurant

Physical Status

Demolished

Description

A three-story building facing south onto Broadway. The main block measured approximately thirty-four feet high and had twelve-inch-thick walls. To the rear was Alfreda’s Alley, a long one-story building with four windows along both the east and west elevations. Additionally, there was a single window on the northernmost wall. Both sections had a composition roof. The location of Alfreda’s Grille is currently a parking lot aside a neighboring warehouse.

Detailed History

Alfreda’s Grille operated alongside Alfreda’s Alley, the first Black-owned bowling alley in Buffalo. It was named for Alfreda R. Edwards, who operated the bowling alley. Her husband, Dewitt T. Lee, owned Alfreda’s Grille with Jay G. Stamper. Members of the Michigan Avenue YMCA frequented both locations, where they would play in bowling tournaments. The restaurant closed in 1961, a year after Mrs. Edwards began serving as the first Black Buffalonian on the Erie County Republican Committee.