This is disgusting, there should be a high-profile page in the Buffalo News for property-owners like this, who allow our city's historic architecural fabric to rot away to crumbling like this — not once but, twice. ESPECIALLY when there is a willing buyer if the price was reasonable. Show the owners picture, list his business dealings, embarrass the shit outta the guy. BUFFALO's MOST WANTED asshole building murderers. I am so disgusted I could puke.
This building is a long-time icon of the west side, It's one of the fascinating treasures that wooed me, from the suburbs, to BUY on the west side. If the city wants to lure people back to the city, it should quickly find a way to keep the charms of the city intact. FIX the department of Inspections. FIX the system that allows people to get away with crap like this. I like the idea (above) of the Land-Value-Tax — re-apportion the current property tax amounts to be heavier on the land and lower on the home. That could lighten the load on homeowners and shift some of the burden to the surface lots. Janet Penska seems like a pretty smart gal and creative thinker (from what I see on Ch 22, at least) — I hope she's reading this thread.
Let's see - isn't Freudenheim the guy that owns 7 Wadsworth, lost 675 Delaware (Westbrook) to foreclosure, lost 140-150 North (Lenox) to foreclosure and lives at 1 Penhurst which is not even in his name? Yes, we'll get blood from this stone.
THANKS Commissioners, past and present, for ignoring my complaints on this building since 1992.
In any event, I hope we're allowed to salvage some bricks. The ones we got from 399 Franklin have worked well as a foundation wall for the fountain in front of 255 Huntington at Voorhees (Holy Cupola!) that we built this week.
Three words: Land Value Tax.
The current property tax system rewards neglect and punishes investment. The current owner has seen his property taxes plummet while he's allowed his property to rot away while his neighbors on Summer street have seen their taxes increase as they have improved and maintained their properties.
Buffalo needs to overhaul its punitive tax system and adopt LVT. Code enforcement by itself won't do it.
i blame the city. I work for property management here in buffalo and the city have been neglectful for years.. When we bought our buildings a few years ago, some of our buildings that we own have needed hundreds of thousands of dollars because the city has neglected the past property owners for years and years! In some cases, our buildings have not had an inspection in 30 years!
Blame the city. It is their responsibility to step it up when the property owners are not doing anything.
UPDATE!
We are making a difference one rally at a time. The efforts of Friday's rally rewarded us with a few more days - demolition is stopped for now and court papers will be filed Monday! Good work everyone!
The next rally is Sunday, June 15th, 1 pm - location TBA - please check savethelivery.com on Sunday morning for the location.
CHECK savethelivery.com for updates and please spread the word to every proud Western New Yorker you know. We are making a difference, and we could use your help!!
"We" should be more proactive? "We" pay city administrators plenty to be "proactive" - aka "enforcing the law".
But the City does not enforce the law. The buck stops where?
I'm waiting for the City to use the "we don't have enough inspectors" excuse.
If that is true who is inspecting the cranes at the Dulski Building site, the Federal Courthouse site, and the casino site? When one of these cranes topples will we all sit back and simply accept their excuse that there are not enough inspectors? Were there not enough inspectors to know what everyone knew when the Webb building wa rotting from the roof down?
Clearly there simply is not the willingness by the Brown administration (and previously the Masiello administration) to enforce the laws or hold accountable managers who do not abide the laws.
Completely and utterly disgusting. These are the sorts of buildings that make up the architectural record of a once great city. A city that is now so impotent it is powerless to do anything but the dirtywork for neglectful owners. How does this happen? (rhetorical question) This should be a criminal offense punishable by jail time. Can you say reckless endangerment?
Robert Freudenheim, what a worthless sack of #*$@. "Impotent," well put Texpat10, how could the City sit by year after year after year after year knowing what a complete waste Freudenheim is and not work with Housing Court to throw him in jail?
He won't pay 10% of the demo bill. Is that house on Penfield completely without housing code violations? The City should go over it with a fine tooth comb. And any other property that he owns.
Why is it we have emergency demolition, and not emergency restoration?
What is the point of owning a building that you have no use for and no intention of doing anything with? Why? Dante created a circle in Hell specifically for these people - the hoarders (Freudenheim) and the wasters (City of Buffalo).
Reprehensible.
The city should stabilize it and charge the owner for that rather than the demo
this is absolutly disgusting , i think im gonna throw up! I am starting to hate my own city(government) more and more each day . I am so done with feeling this way , like i am screaming at the top of my lungs and not a single soul can hear me . Why do we let our government do these things to us , when will we say enough is enough ? We need to find a way to take our city back from these god damn urban vampires sucking our cities precious infrastructure dry . This is going to keep happening if we allow it to happen . We need action on a city wide level . We are all intelligent enough to start some form of grassroots citizens oversight group to make SURE this type of SHIT DOESN'T HAPPEN . If we don't do something than we have no right to complain . We can save this city , we just have to stop waiting for someone else to save it for us .
Just do what's safest for the neighbors and the residents, and do it quickly. It's easy for preservationists to get in a huff when there is no threat of a brick wall collapsing on their homes. Yes, it's an old building with historic value. That doesn't mean it needs to stay up at the risk of peoples' safety.
Why is everyone getting angry at the City for this? What did you people want- for the city to come in droves wearing riot gear pointing guns at Freudenheim making him fix this building? It was his building, it is his responsibility to maintain this building from day one. If the city owned this building, yes I would be right there at city hall with you guys, but this was privately owned. If a large tree in your backyard dies, and you let it sit there for a few years, and part of it then falls on your neighbor's Mustang, does your neighbor call the city forester or you? YOU. Your tree, your problem; your house, your problem.
If this is so important why did it have to wait till now to make a big deal over it? Why wait 5 years of watching it deteriorate before the neighbors eyes?
Historical Buildings aren't new, if they're Historical they should be designated as such and held to those standards. Not wait till someone wants to tear it down before something is done. Same happened with the Atwater House, no one cared about it till Pano wanted to take it down.
I just wish we picked our battles and were more Proactive not reactive to things like this. I'd suspect alot more could get done. We can't save everything, but no doubt theres plenty worth the effort.
From a comment I made on STEEL's related article this morning:
This is simply unbelievable, and reading through the comments I could really feel reflected, in my own gut, the visceral reaction of anthonycapone and comptart_lws (and WholeLotta cuts right to the heart of it). Why would I share the outrage of the commenters, when I don't live in Buffalo--? Well, I came to care about this building, and the unforgettable gem of a neighborhood - 'Little Summer' - surrounding it after discovering it during some exploration of Buffalo's amazing west side. And that appreciation was cemented when I read - not long ago - Buffalo chronicler Mark Goldman's lyrical description of that neighborhood where he once lived in a house nestled up against the walls of the former livery stable. Goldman's account can be found here: http://www.buffaloah.com/a/summer/388/index.html
Here's an excerpt:
"To come home to Little Summer is to be embraced by place.
My house is more removed, still more rooted in the past than the rest of the street. More of an authentic cottage, it is the third of three identical one and a half story buildings joined closely, like pearls on a chain. All are on a tiny lane that runs off Little Summer. To get home, I walk down a narrow, secluded path, pass through a creaky wooden gate, admire the sun-mottled brick walls of my neighbor's homes, and pass through another gate, under an arbor of ancient branches, into my new home. The house itself is much like it was when it was built one hundred and twenty-odd years ago The floors are six inch tongue and groove, and the view outside my bedroom window is the leaf-covered brick wall of White's Livery Stable on Jersey Street. I hear no street noises, ever.
What I like most about living at 388 Summer Street is that, now, more than ever before, I have a sense of connection to the unfolding story of this city, its future as well as its past. Despite its age -- my house was already close to thirty years old at the end of the last century -- there is something about this house and this neighborhood that feels very contemporary, as if there are lessons of value in these historic stones. We can learn from Little Summer... ."
Yes, Mark, we can...but will we--?
I created an event announcement on Facebook -- please spread the word:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=21688042925&ref=mf
So does anyone know where Robert Freudenheim lives? My guess is at 1 Penhurst Parkway, an amazing Colonial home which the city lists as 5996' and assessed at $615,000. Let's see a person named NINA FREUDENHEIM took title by quit claim deed for $1 in 2002 from Robert Freudenheim and Nina herself.
Why doesn't the City of Buffalo take a lien on Robert Freudenheim's personal property? It seems logical to me.
"After about an hour, he said he wasn't able to free up the resources and that he wanted the building to be demolished by the city, saying that he would pay the city back."
HAHAHAH. Right. He'll pay it back. LOL. Guess the city can put a lien on a vacant lot to try to recoup the $280k demolition cost. Great job City Hall. That's 14 homes elsewhere that won't be demo'd thanks to Freudenprick. Where was the City Hall pressure two years ago to get this building into shape? Now they call a press conference. Do us a favor- stay in the office and do your job.
After a little digging I found that White's Livery Stable was designed by one of Buffalo's most significant 19th-century architects, Richard A. Waite. Waite designed many significant Buffalo buildings, as well as a number in Canada, including the magnificent Ontario Parliament building in Toronto. Buffalo architect Louise Bethune, who would become the first woman member of the American Institute of Architects, and designer of the Hotel Lafayette downtown, had her first professional job as a draftsperson in Waite's office. More on Waite and his projects here: http://www.buffaloah.com/a/archs/waite/index.html
By any measure this is a building worthy of preservation, even if by extraordinary or creative means.
PLEASE COME HELP!!
TODAY, Friday June 13th, 4 PM - press conference / rally - at Jersey & Richmond!
Spread the word!
""The wood was deteriorated. This is what my inspectors saw in early May," Tobe said. "
Was May the first time you guys were ever in there? This building has been here since 1880, the city failed again by not keeping an eye on this owner. THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THIS. We need to start pointing fingers or this will never stop. Heads should roll if this building comes down.
sb16, citizens have been making a big deal about this guy for years. The city's done nothing in response. It's much more important now because the building's a direct threat to public safety. I hope the evacuated neighbors sue him for whatever they can get.
Well, this neighbor (me) likes the IDEA of it staying, but only if it can be done safely.
1 more thing: next time there's a press conference for something like this, have it in front of the owner's home. Let the Red-Coat Team have their way with him too. 2008 version of public square humiliation.
Please continue to check savethelivery.com - there is now an opportunity to donate to this cause. Donations are needed to support the funding of attorney fees, filing fees, and bonding.
You are all making a difference - our call for assistance is more urgent now than ever!!
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