Buffalo Rising Online

Thanks for bringing the plight of this building to the publics eye's again BRO, I wish it would get even more media attention than just this site though as it is a part of Main Street that is in all probability the last vestige of Victorian Buffalo in a commercial sense. In my eye's, should this buiding come down, it would make Allentowns "Historic Preservation District" status even more laughable following the bulldozing on Franklin of a Civil War era home. On the flip side, I look at the positive, in a hundred years or so they will realize what a mistake it was to loose it due to inept leadership and dig out the foundation for future generations to walk around as at the waterfront park.

If the current owner will not stabalize the building, then the city should take through eminent domain as safety is a "public purpose." I'd rather not have to use the goverment to get things like this done, but its one technique to get properties out of the hands of slumlords. Get the building, and get it transfered to a developer who will reuse the building. It's not a great solution, but its a solution.

Martin,

I can't wait for the interpretive signage to be installed too. It will be greta to have some way of knowing what was once here.

Apparently (and unfortunately) with the continual routine of this sort of situation, the city (meaning City Hall etc, not the citizens) simply does not care enough to do what's needed. As long as that's the case, we'll have buildings falling apart and razed. I've lived in the city for 20 years and see no change in the city's pervasive apathy towards its own infrastructure, therefore I've started looking in earnest at moving out of the city. I'm tired.

Eminent DOMAIN. If they don't already own it (I think they own one of the two buildings) They should take the other along with an easement along the rear of the building for fire escape reasons. Once the necessary pieces are together sell them as a whole project and hopefully someone like Rocco or another developer would take this one. Leaving it as the status Quo just shows the real concern our politicians have.

I know of a couple people that wanted to take on this project but because of city ownership and the lack of access to the rear of the building they backed away. The desire to restore these buildings is there we just need to get them into the right hands. If that means Cathode Ray gets 10 fewer parkings spots so be it.

The stupidy of the situation is that the parking lot belonged to the Bosche building and the city sold it to Cathode Ray.

Hey SBROF, want to be my running mate for mayor, I think we have some damn good ideas!

NICK, would be my pleasure. But I don't pander the union's right to exuberant pay or vehicular concerns about parking, so I don't think I would help you get elected.

Between the ABC board and the Police enforcing the letter of the law , so to speak, the city could put a lot of pressure on Cathode Ray to co-operate.

Bini, that New London case doesn't seem to have set as much precident as it could have. I'm divided, as a "resident" I would be against it but as an economic development tool I think its great. Unfortunately municipalities don't often use it for good. This would be an easy one for a redevelopment agency to create a plan and execute..well in theory!

well since the building has become a public safety hazard and considering the loss to the integrity of our Allentown Preservation district. I think it is completely responsible for the city to act and take a parking lot to save these buildings. It certainly isn't going to ruin the economic potential for Cathode ray as most of their drunkest patrons park on the street and like to run into other cars on their way home. But they Support the Cops so its all ok...

Take the parking lot there are plenty of bars around there without any parking that do just fine... Make it a City owned lot with a permanent easement for access to the Main Street buildings for fire safety reasons... Done deal! Just do it!

If we diverted demo funds to initially keeping roofs intact, these building would hold out for decades until reuses became viable options.

After helping lead downtown development tours for Old Home Week last year, I popped up to the Allentown station on MetroRail and took a close look at this building and its surroundings.

This location has everything going for it, especially being part of a block with outstanding, cohesive architecture. It’s across the street from Metro Rail, and next door to the striking Red Jacket, at a major gateway to Allentown. It’s surrounded by those beautiful, vibrant streetscapes which make people smitten with Allentown. And it’s right next door to a vanishing breed: a fully-stocked urban arts supply store -- in Rochester we have but one left, and nowhere near this good. And being at a major gateway to the Buffalo/Niagara Medical Center, this location would be a slam dunk for a mix of uses including loft apartments and street-level retail.

I also noticed that it’s located further up the same Main Street block as the Granite Works, another situation where neglected buildings came to the brink of demolition, despite their architectural significance, economic value, and reuse potential. The situation here makes one wonder if any lasting lessons were learned at City Hall from Granite Works. What an embarrassment it is to have this building decaying from neglect right next door to the offices of the neighborhood association which represents residents of one of the largest preservation districts in the nation.

Without much more insider information than what I read on BRO, I wonder what creative efforts the City has made to get this building into the hands of a responsible owner/developer, and/or get a viable reuse proposal on the table before it's too late. I wonder if anyone's engaged the BNMC to sound them out about the value of playing a role. I wonder if anyone's checked on whether there might be special tax credits (or grants) available for developers to work on projects in the vicinity of a MetroRail station - to promote ridership and density. And being adjacent to MetroRail - a direct link to UB South Campus - I wonder if any developers (perhaps in partnership with the Dormitory Authority which has bonding authority to fund projects) have looked at the student housing potential for this building.

A project with this building could be so attractive in so many ways, it would seem well past due time for some proactive and creative marketing of the potential, and problem solving to eliminate whatever barriers there are to something moving forward.

Buildings like this should not just be left to fall down. It isn't right. This neighborhood is on the cusp of really turning the corner and needs all the period architecture it can hang on to. The city nmeeds a better historic renovation tax abatement policy and streamlined process to get this sort of project done. With all the hoops people have to squeeze through to get anything done in Buffalo it will take 5 years and by then it'll be too late.

the city would look so much better if every one of the SW corner buildings on main and w ferry, summer, north and allen could be saved. those re-habbed 4 building would make a huge difference . i'll try not to dream, though. after readingh this, one really wonders what the f*&% the masiello administration did, if anything, in 8 years?

Why isn't the owner getting FINED for neglect?

Aloha, if you like I can show you a flyer they handed out awhile back playing up the gay card against the residents of N. Pearl. As for the police and the city doing anything about the situation, not much, they seem to have a soft spot for the owners. Also, one building is owned by the city, the other was owned by a gentleman who passed away last year while he was trying to develope the property, unfortunately, the whole time he was stonewalled by the owners of the bar.

Bini; thanks and will do. those four corners are so important and act as a gateway between the adjoining neighborhoods. what up w/ the nw corner of ferry/main?

No slander here Eison...be happy to back it all up for you anytime! Aloha, Never took it as sarcasm.

...anyway, the point is lets try to save this building, whatever and whomever is stalling the rehab or fast forwarding the demo needs to be reckoned with before it is to late!

"I'm sure those jokers will try to spin this story as a conspiracy to make them look bad because they are gay - a card they use way too often. "

"dirty, dilapidated and disgusting"

"oral (spoken) statement" no pun intended i'm sure.

ChocolateSnake chose to push homophobia as an issue in today's discussion. To me, It just seems like a strange point to make.

I think that the facade needs to be saved...the rear..and interior is immaterial

and I agree with the comments about corner buildings along Main Street

One would assume if we had a control board with teeth... and if the city was the owner of the building... and if it was cheaper to gut and reinforce... then they would do so instead of demolition in the name of the taxpayer of course.

What would it take to divert state/federal demolition funds??

I, like most visitors to this site, like the idea of saving this building. But at some point, you have to ask, at what cost? If it's not economically viable, which would seem to be the decision of the market place, why should the city argue otherwise (by investing in it)? We have very limited resources. We have people in our community die due to lack of health care. We have children in violent family situations. We have citizens who don't feel safe leaving their homes. But we should divert funds from correcting these situations, to save a single building with a questionable future? It's easy to say save it. It might be wiser to realize time claims all things, this building being the most recent example.

how long has that website buffalo-city-tower.com been up? i've never seen it before any one have more info or is it an old site made before issa's recent problems?

screw that thinking Eisen!

If there is a bad building in the community then its everyones problem. One of the reasons allentown hosts the art festival is because it is so intact historically....the schmidt, the vernor the bosch...their integral buildings to Main Street and we have already lost so many.....but this block of Main Street is one of the few intact and there is absolutely no need to lose it....studies have shown the entire building can be saved....and even if the entire building couldnt be saved for some reason...the brick facade most definitely can!

This isnt some ticky tacky suburb...these is a 150 year old section of Buffalo and thats not to be taken lightly.

Buffalo needs to "shrink to greatness."

@ Eison, This is about saving a building that is in a historic preservation district on a intact Victorian area of Main. Yes, the city needs to get involved as they own one of the property's. It is to bad Cathode is involved but they are, by not working with potential developers in the past. The patio @ Cathode along with many others in Allentown is a whole different issue. Anyone in the know is well aware of this. {On a side note, you need dates for your "facts", the patio issue with Cathode started with N. Pearl residents 2 years before we purchesed our home, that my friend is a documented fact}

D__K id: If you UB students shrink, then something's wrong in your particle physics lab.

Advice: (1) take English classes - something that entails reading and learning to write (using actual words and stuff...) (2) take your head out of your myopic arse - take a look around the business community of Buffalo (no, it's not at your school, it's the professionals you want, not the professional 'educators') Entrepreneurship is alive and well in this city - screw GM, Ford, and the 50's factory mentality - if we're all going to make it here now, it's all about using your brain - pitch your excel spreadsheets and historical regression crap. The future is now, math geek.

Since you're right and I'm wrong, leave town. Go poison someone else's dwindling water supply...

look at all the detail around the windows, you do not see this in new builds or building made entirely our of brick for that matter.

it would be one of Buffalo's greatest shames if this spot became a parking lot

still blame the politicians and ourselves for voting them in for the 50 years of slow decline

take a picture now

I was at the opening of "The Granite Works" Byron Brown was the new mayor and his speach was all about "this proves we can save the heritage and history of Buffalo". Guess he forgot it...