About Rivera, I'm pleased to say that he seems to be becoming quite a preservation-minded councilman. I've run into him at four events just in the last couple of months, all preservation-related. And he's not just putting in appearances - he's very engaged (as Colin describes). At one of these events, he joined a dozen of us for a tour of the Kleinhans neighborhood, and stayed on the tour for a full hour and a half. At several points the preservationist leading the tour stopped the group and talked at length about the value of preservation to the neighborhood, and Rivera said that he wished several of his Common Council colleagues were on the tour, seeing and hearing what he was. And that wasn't just lip service - I believe something very much like that was slated to happen last week.

If I relocate to Buffalo, I'd love to move into Rivera's district, so I can vote for him and help keep him in office - he's one of the good guys. It doesn't surprise me to hear that he's working hard on this issue as Colin describes - I hope and pray that he can help broker a solution.

this is devastating. what other properties does this scumbag own?

KLW -

The fact that the homes have been evacuated does not mean that there is no safety risk. Please be realistic. The properties are not secured. The idea of a young kid making his way into my lawn and a brick falling or a wall falling on his head scares me quite a bit, and the liability is very real. This is very much a safety issue. The property is not secured, and no one is to stop someone from making their way back there. Is that unlikely? Yes. But when it comes to safety, likelihood is not a factor. Possibility is.

Safety to property is also an issue, is it not?

And the reason why I did not raise the issue until this is because there was NO WALL COLLAPSING until now, and no EMERGENCY DEMOLITION ordered until now.

ncoli,

Yeah, you're right that not everyone in the neighborhood was opposed to the quick demolition. If I ever said that they were, then that was a mistake.

And I definitely feel bad for you and anyone else who has been put out by this whole thing. But I don't think it's heartless to say that there are some larger issues at stake here. And until we start to address those issues -- by making the city do its job, and landlords maintain their property -- we'll just keep seeing this happen again and again, and more people will be in your position.

can someone explain to me how this works...the people pay for this guy to make money? if the tax payers have to pay and choose what buildings are torn down, why doesnt everyone chip in an extra dollar or two and have this guy's house torn down......

if you want to reap the benefits you have to put in the work yourself..

I have it on good authority that a potential owner was VERY interested in rehabing this property into Condos.

We were already working on plans and renovation efforts for the existing building.

This could not have happened at a worse time for our efforts involving the restoration.

I ran into Freudenheim at an art opening tonight. A friend commented to him that he probably wasn't the most popular person in Buffalo this week. His answer? "Fuck them."

That about says it all.

And if it is true, then it's a big problem which should be fought by the City's Law Dept. The owner should pay for this demo, not the taxpayers.

Either way, it was very lazy blogging to publish a "word has it" like that.

What an utter disgrace and an indictment of the bad job the City of Buffalo inspections department does. City government has failed to protect our communities heritage and allows the rich and elite to strip mine Buffalo.

What a pathetic city we live in when all they can do is tear down and replace with boxes made of substandard and flimsy materials.

Sad how ignorant the world has become.

Colin,

Respectfully. And I really do mean respectfully, here. No sarcasm. I respect what you are doing.

But.

You speak of larger issues at stake. You speak on philosophical levels. But all the preservationist philosophy in the world won't count for a thing if this thing were actually collapse on one of those neighboring homes (or a person) while the obviously needed work (demolition or otherwise) gets held up in court.

I remain AMAZED at how inconsiderate people are with regard to the displaced neighbors, even if those displaced neighbors WOULD like to see the facade or walls kept. I keep hearing about how "concerned" everyone is about us, but in truth, each day this demo gets delayed is a day when bricks might start falling. If that weren't true, then the fire department wouldn't have ordered the neighbors out. Call various people liars if you want, develop your consipiracy theories about why the owners want it demolished, develop whatever you want. You may be right; you may not.

REGARDLESS:

The point is, this is a SAFETY issue, not just a political statement. As soon as someone's safety became a risk factor, the focus should have shifted away from what people want to what people need, whether they like it or not. And if a demolition is required to remove the danger, then by all means, let them do it for god's sake. It's like arguing over the installation of a traffic light on an historic road. Building the traffic light might negatively affect the road's aesthetics, but all the arguing in the world would go away the moment a pedestrian got hit by a car. Loose analogy, I know, but I hope you get my point.

Don't misunderstand me. On a philosophical level, I don't want the building gone. Really. I don't. I do have a very real financial and personal stake in this. But I really want the danger gone, RIGHT NOW, YESTERDAY in fact, and I don't see one going away without the other at this point, and neither does any fire chief I've spoken to. The fire chief gave me the facts about the danger, told me to get out immediately and stay out until it was torn down, and I don't think he was the tool of a vast conspiracy or scare tactic. So if the danger is real, why and how are you all holding this process up in good conscience?

If this becomes a galvanizing event then at least the death of this building won't have been in vain. Things have to change.

Message sent, we'll see if it bounces back or the slimebag responds.

This travesty has made me consider, for the first time since moving to Buffalo 20 years ago, of leaving the city.

it is situations like this that make residents loose hope that the city government doesn't care and never will. It is easy to look in from the outside and say.. just another buildings... buffalo has a million. But it from the people that deeply care about these neighborhoods. Live in them. Invested time and money into them it is like riping your heart out.

I couldn't even imagine the pain it must have been to watch the 33 get carved through the east side. No wonder so many people left. I don't blame them. They can look back some 40 years later and say.. the city still doesn't care about the ONE THING that makes it truly special. We were blessed with dense neighborhoods, walkable communities and great architecture. Even down to streets like Jersey (how many people in the county could even find it on a map.. not very many I bet).

Utter shame and like other buildings and broken hearts also makes me want to up and leave. That is the power that these buildings hold on people and that is exactly why it is worth every penny to secure and mothball them when owners fail to act responsibly. The lack of leadership or basic F;n understanding by the government across the board to do ANYTHING leave me feeling empty. Why bother staying because by the time I would have children the details and richness of our city will have been demolished. And not for growth or change or prosperity but for shovel ready sites, parking lots and weed covered lots.

Tony Smac, get a clue.

Perhaps we need to hit the shithead where it hurts...in his no doubt wonderful personal lifestyle; post his photo so that bartenders and servers stop taking his orders. Or, post his home address and picket there. Douchebags like this don't care what "we" think, but they very much care what the other members of their club think!

heather --

Noone is calling for the building to remain up in its present state. Folks are calling for the facade and a small protion of the exterior walls to be preserved. There shouldn't be any reason why this place has to be a vacant lot in order to be safe.

I also don't think that people are coming in late -- people have brought this building to the city's attention plenty of times in the past, but nothing happened.

And no, it's not likely that the owner will have a change of heart. But that doesn't mean that the neighborhood should let his actions pass without comment.

Finally, I think it's important to note that it's the neighbors that are behind this. This isn't being driven by outsiders who believe in preservation as a theory, whatever the practical effects. It's folks who don't want a vacant lot in the middle of their neighborhood.

HO Oats, Atwater, Falcon, Harbor Inn. . . . . . add another one to the list...

How many neighborhoods can Brown and his flock piss off and still get re-elected? Did nothing in Albany, is doing nothing in City Hall....DC here he comes! It can't happen soon enough!

Freudenheim to Buffalo, "FU, and thanks for the bailout!"

Since 98% of us hate that sleaze Bob Freudenheim here ya go

Robertrlf@aol.com

Hope it still works. Call him an a-hole

ncoli, get out of the livery's shadows and see the light.

QE wrote this in the article above:

Word has it that Bob Freudenheim, owner of the property (as well as the recently demolished Falcon building), will indeed pass along the demolition price tag to the taxpayers and will ultimately still own the land.

"Word has it" from who exactly?

Is it true? If not, shouldn't a clear retraction, admission of error, and correcting of the record (not just a silent edit) be published in the article above?

Tony,

You're wrong about the neighbors not having a stake in the building. Its condition affects the value of our property. That's not ownership, but it can be called a stake.

Setting that aside, your comment is still absurd. We don't have an ownership stake in lots of buildings -- does that mean we should be quiet if their owners let them rot to the point that they become a danger to the public? Nonsense. The law is our stake.

And despite your tired attempt at stereotyping, I haven't seen a single "hippy" at these rallies. What I saw were homeowners. I'll await the inevitable accusation that I drive a Subaru Outback . . .

Update --

The rally is 1PM today at the Lenox Hotel on North Street between Richmond and Delaware.

See www.savethelivery.com for details.

While I do think this is important because of the elitist and greedy nature of his CRIME,,I also know that buildings are not the future of the this city. How dear and near to the heart the community feels about this building while there are serious and tragic stories unfonlding all around. Again, the predominantly white, middle-class community is devoting it's most precious energy to protect their own assests. Head west a little down the street and ask some families on the West Side what are the most critical issues they face in their day to day lives!! Is it a Terra Cotta horse head?? Go team!!

Demolish Buffalo's Slum Lord's and Vote Out Judges Who Are Soft On Them.

Vote Out Judges Who Give Probation To Arsonists Who Do Serious Injury to Police and Firefighters.

Outrage that Firefighter Reed had to be brought back from death twice and is now missing one leg and the juvenile with a previous arrest got probation??????????

Outrage that Nothing Is Being Done About The Abuse caused vy absentee Landlords.

Outrage At The Boom Cars In This City. It goes on and on and the citizens get laws that are not enforced and constant chaos.

I was down there at about 12:30. The roof had been taken down, bu the walls were still up. Apparently an injunction was issued this morning, and it was delivered to the site just before I got there. I had to leave, but I did see a small truck pack up and start to drive off before I left. I don't know if anything has changed in the interim.

username --

I'm honestly sorry about what's happened. The situation stinks, and you've obviously been impacted more than anyone else. I just don't think the city should make it's decision based on what's immediately best for you, but instead on what's best overall. And I have to admit that that opinion is callous to some degree, even if I don't mean it to be.

It's just that safety is always the justification for these demolitions, and though your safety concerns are totally real, I doubt the sincerity of the city and the owner, given how they ignored safety concerns for years. As people who care about our neighborhoods, we end up getting caught between a rock and a hard place.

While I do think this is important because of the elitist and greedy nature of his CRIME,,I also know that buildings are not the future of the this city. How dear and near to the heart the community feels about this building while there are serious and tragic stories unfonlding all around. Again, the predominantly white, middle-class community is devoting it's most precious energy to protect their own assests. Head west a little down the street and ask some families on the West Side what are the most critical issues they face in their day to day lives!! Is it a Terra Cotta horse head?? Go team!!

this is what i sent to his e-mail.....heeheehee ;

on behalf of the good people of the City of Buffalo , i would like to say ;

{deleted}!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANKS FOR MURDERING A BEAUTIFUL PART OF OUR CITIES WONDERFUL AND STORIED ARCHITECTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE.YOU ARE NOTHING MORE THAN AN URBAN VAMPIRE BLEEDING OUR CITY DRY FOR YOUR OWN SELFISH AND DISGUSTINGLY GREEDY PERSONAL GAINS . I AS WELL AS 50 OF MY COLLEAGUES WILL BE WRITING OUR CONGRESSMAN , COUNCILMAN , SENATOR AND THE ATTORNEY GENERAL . TO SEE THAT IN SOME WAY OR FORM YOU ARE PUNISHED FOR THIS "CRIME " OF WHICH YOU HAVE PERPETRATED AGAINST OUR FAIR CITY. I THINK I SPEAK FOR ALOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS CITY WHEN I SAY FOR YOU AND YOUR WIFE YOU CAN BOTH GO TO HELL , PLEASE ? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE!

Well thank God for guys like Colin.

Colin, you are the only one so far in our local blog universe that bothered to post the skinny on this story.

Reliable source? The relocated property owner commented on the other thread!

does the whole structure need to come down or can the facade be saved?

Its 11 a.m.

Does anybody have any news? Did the building survive the 8 a.m. demolition schedule this morning?

The local blogosphere has reported nothing so far.

I created an event announcement on Facebook -- please spread the word:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=21688042925&ref=mf

haha.. he has us pay for it, still owns the land and plans to make a profit selling it.. what an a$$hat.

I was dearly hoping to make it out for the rally but logistics were against it. Platt4, it would have been so sweet after the rally to pack everyone up and pay a call on the Freudenheim's at their house (or gallery) as some BRO commenters suggested today - perhaps that happened.

I can't wait for the Sunday Edition of The Buffalo News! I just wonder what position they will take on both reporting the situation and editorializing.