William B. Rowe (1910-1955)

William B. Rowe (1910-1955) was one of the leading faculty of the Art Institute of Buffalo. He started by directing the Painting Department in September 1938 and served as AIB director from 1942 to 1945. He made several trips to the American Southwest and Mexico and wanted to bring Mexican social realist painters Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Sigueiros to teach mural painting at the Art Institute. He returned to Buffalo often to teach and exhibit work, and was listed as faculty 1951-52 to teach Painting, Theory Life, and Art History. He was murdered in 1955.

The curved building on the right is now the site of the Saigon Café, 520 Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14222. The Art Institute of Buffalo, which had started at 56 Starin Avenue, occupied 534 Elmwood Avenue 1941-1944, with a brief interval during World War II merging with the Albright Art School for classes at the museum in 1943. Then they were back to 532 Elmwood [as reported in their records] in 1944, then in new quarters on Sept. 25, 1944 at 527 Elmwood Ave. at West Utica Street.