Therapeutic Demolition... really?

This building has the wrong therapist.

While its great that the Trust named Buffalo as one of the Dozen Distinctive Destinations, this type of action, along with the response of the city has led Buffalo to become known as a demolition-happy city. The best example of this is Brian Higgins not being chosen to sponsor a house bill that would revamp the historic tax credit program in favor of a congress woman from a district seen as pro-preservation.

Its because the Preservation Board is a misstep in the city. What exactly are they good for? Lovely meetings and pats on the collective backs with no real mitigation of what the city holds dear as buildings to be preserved. Isn't Garrett on the Preservation Board? Don't they have the last say on demolitions? Isn't Teelman on the Preservation Board? There's your final answer. They give their dictums and forget about the rest. Done, done and done. Excuse me, Pilate, would you please pass the wash basin?

Mayor Brown:

Congratulations on the announcement of your candidacy for Mayor. Under your watch, we have seen our city disappear little by little, with the resulting tax burden shifted to those who try to improve their own neighborhoods. Should you be elected, what will we have left in another four years? Is this just the start of your attack on this neighborhood, a means to justify what could happpen should the Peace Bridge Authority cram their plaza into it, forever taking with $600+K in yearly property taxes?

Please do us a favor and realise you have made a mistake, many mistakes, and rescind your candidacy. You cite a budget surplus as one of the successes of your administration while our community crumbles & the streets do not get cleaned. Slowly, under your watch, we see this once great city being turned into a wasteland.

And now this... Keep up the good work. You really know how to run the city, right into the ground, literally.

I've cared very much about this building since first being alerted last year that it was in jeopardy: http://archives.buffalorising.com/story/demolition_threat_to_st_marys

But even more so now that it's one of my neighbors. A couple of weeks ago, when I moved to town, the building was still intact, and I was impressed with how well it had survived the winter -- and was cautiously optimistic for what this year might have in store. But having been there this morning, and seeing its condition as pictured, I may be in need of some therapeutic intervention myself.

This is especially outrageous as, like David Rivera, I had been led to believe that the work going on at St. Mary's was necessary and would not be as extensive as revealed here. In fact, although I can't serve as anyone's spokesperson, I believe the local perservation community had the same understanding. And it's no state secret that Economic Development Commissioner Brian Reilly has suggested that resources (perhaps through the City's stimulus funding request) would be available for the preservation of *this* building.

Furthermore, I have questions about whether the proper procedures were followed in authorizing action this drastic and extensive to go forward -- vis a vis housing court and the preservation board. But that will be for those more versed in those ins and outs to determine.

What I do know is that this building survived a very difficult winter that we were not certain it would survive. Everyone agreed that it needed to be preserved. There have been significant efforts by responsible community leaders this year to get the building into responsible hands who would indeed preserve it for reuse. And strong suggestions of additional funding have been held out.

In light of this, the actions taken against this building over the last two weeks appear to be way out of bounds, unnecessary, potentially improper, and contrary to community understanding -- an outrageous assault on Our Fair City's priceless historic resources.

another travesty for Buffalo!

It will never shake its mortality if it cannot differentiate good from bad and chooses red light cameras over property code enforcement

The "back story" linked above quotes Harvey Garret saying this:

"...City Hall is legally responsible if something happens to someone due to the building's weakened condition.
It's a battle of time.
The building could last a day, or it could last three weeks or more.
We need to save the property by finding a new owner...
Now the time line depends on the building.
It could fall down tomorrow. The City inspectors are checking it every day.
As soon as the bricks start to fall, then we've lost the battle."

So in February, Harvey estimated 3 weeks or more as the upper portion of its life span.

That was almost 3 months ago, well beyond the 3 weeks he estimated.

After the previous back story in February, did anybody step forward with an offer to buy this building and rehab it? Did any group of concerned people chip in their savings to buy it as a partnership? Was their offer rejected by the owners, or did an offer never happen?

A million dollars of tax $$$$ on the livery while Mr. Penhurst Resident gets to keep it? Someone please explain how this works! Tell me it ain't so!

Old abandoned churches never stand a chance. You can't put a drive-thru window in them.

Another tragedy for our city. We are so lucky to have these beautiful structures and then they are destroyed. Very sad.

So you want us to piss away public monies on a building that NEVER paid property tax? Let the RCC tear this eye sore down and plat a garden. Why do we keep getting stuck with church left overs? Geeze, if the City of Buffalo could actually tax these freeloading churches all of our taxes would be lower? Yep!

The Livery was sold to Sam Savarino. Fraudenheim -- "Mr. Penhurst" -- doesn't own it anymore.

We need to save the Greystone before this same situation happens AGAIN!!!

Thanks Harvey for shedding some light on this issue. Best of luck to saving what is left of the place.

Was there yesterday evening, and the wooden tracery from the gothic windows of the gable front was in the bottom of one of the dumpsters. This all seems premeditated to me, and not at all therapeutic.

Especially interesting that folks at City Hall knew that officials from the National Trust were in town late last week for the preservation awards luncheon Thursday, and would be going to see that neighborhood by Columbus Park and the Peace Bridge. It looks like this wanton destruction began immediately after they had passed through, and would not see it.

City Hall likes to brag about the Trust conference and their positive designations, but does lip service to preservation beyond pet projects and the pres board. Enact a stronger local preservation ordinance and a tax incentive or abatement for incentives then they can talk.

It was not "abandoned" it was stripped by another serial building wrecker - Jeff Weisberg - and used as a warehouse. These people who strip & exploit buildings should be banned from owning them.

Buffalo Rising should place Weisberg as the first nomination for its Buffalo Building Wrecker Wall of Shame.

Weisberg ran 'Architectural Circus' on Niagara for many years (when he wasn't in jail). Recently I've seen him out at the Clarence weekly sales. Most criminals drift to drugs/prostitution/gambling, for some reason this guy sells pieces of old buildings, you can assume most of it stolen.

A tragic loss..shame on all those who could have made a difference but who looked the other way.Another win for todays Vandals and Goths.

Harvey,

Thanks for all the historical, political, and economic info on this "therapeutic demo." I suspect it is as good a term as any for a series of tragic events that led to this irreversible mess. If it does not have a place officially, it should be added to the nomenclature.

Our preservation organizations should have their trained paid qualified staff (not volunteers!) make a list of locally endangered buildings. Consult with neighborhood business associations and block clubs as to what is important to their neighborhoods. Have review by preservation experts. Rate and rank the buildings as to their importance. Identify owners and responsible parties and relevant history. Figure out what important buildings' needs are, and match with owner's and other preservation funding resources.

Keep track of and monitor buildings and their progress. Help in advance rather than react in ineptitude. Earn our trust and support and your money.

It was at least fifty years ago that the concept of wringing out the old (structures) to ring in the new throughout this City was first conceived.
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Hold on. The present mayor is how old? Those original SelfConceptionaires; those guys who set the standard of the present-day distruction within ALL of Buffalo, if still alive, could now be in their eighties--give or take ten years!
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Meanwhile, take an imaginationwise good look at the above picture of that apparently quite sturdy, repairable tower and the wall that stayed attached to it, remove all the rest of that worn out structure and build from those gorgeous remains.
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But, no-no-no more lofts or restaurants, please...please...pretty overdone please...

We have seen this over and over. Reading this, it reminds people of the Livery and how very frustrating it was dealing with a City government that does not listen and apparently does not learn! I have to say that dealing with the city was one of the most frustrating experiences in my life and these people were supposed to be on the side of the tax payers.

Roy, many BR have been asking for exactly this for a long time.

Mr. Kearns – are you listening? Here’s a very specific platform that speaks to so many of our frustrations about this issue. Say “here are the buildings we need to save for the following reasons; here are the owners and the demands we have made of the owners; here is our timeline; here are our options if the owner does not meet the timelines, etc”

Why is this so difficult for politicians to grasp? It seems really clear to the neighbors living around these buildings and forever writing and calling for inspections.

The current system of allowing a negligent owner to neglect (or obviously strip a building of its valuable pieces to leave the shell to fall on and bury the evidence of its looting) needs to stop. To that end, Mr. Brown – how is the response to the Blacksmith's Shop going? Do you never learn?