Buffalo Rising Online

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This should make us mad. Look at what this has done to the vista of St. Louis Church. It's dismaying--a real failure on all sides. I'm still trying to comprehend how this was allowed in the one of the country's largest National Historic Districts.

Oh yes, I guess I did. :-)

tzone...i am all for expansion but why the need to knock down the house? In a city with a large Empire Zone and all the benefits that come with it along with all the "shovel ready" sites, why did this company need to knock down a historically significant house in a Historic District? Oh and BTW…Pano’s looks great and I have no problem with what they did in a COMMERCIAL part of the city…

perhaps because the house was in shambles and looked like it was ready to give out if another bad winter hit it

the real question and controversy here was that instead of expanding into one of the many parking \ vacant lots around this structure, some of which could have also been connected to their current building. They followed the same mantra that buffalo always does.. demolish the neighboring building. They could have gotten the same amount of space if not more and we could have kept the old house. No one likes to look at the big picture just whats outside their immediate window for answers.

Let's see....tear down a historic brick building with character, and build a new brick that looks like a warehouse in a historic neighborhood. Why couldnt they just expand into the adjacent building? No creative vision here!

Iif u thought the building was worth saving you should have made the financiall commitment, bought it, and fixed it up.

I suppose the other option was to have another business leave the City... I'm sure there was a little give and take on both sides. Any how, the addition looks great.

Let's see....tear down a historic brick building with character, and build a new brick that looks like a warehouse in a historic neighborhood. Why couldnt they just expand into the adjacent building? No creative vision here!

mixed feelings too, but, if you want something to complain about: what gives with the run-down and boarded up old victorian (former day care center?) a block and a half north on Franklin which has been deteriorating the past 12 years?

the only character this building had was a starring role of death...come on...if somebody didnt tell you it was built in the 1800s as opposed to 1956 would anybody really give a crap about it?

This proves that Allentown being a registered historic district is nothing but a big fat joke along with our "preservation" board. Imagine pulling down historic properties in the garden district of New Orleans or Savanah. This building looks like a new fire hall on Hertal, does not complement the area at all or look even slightly authentic. With all the empty warehouse space, shovel ready sites and brownfields, you mean to tell me there was no place else to go? Yes, what a nice commitment they made to Buffalo and helping to further decimate a deteriorating "historic" area instead of moving what, all 12 employee's elsewhere to a more compatable business district.

historic bulidings are only historic if somebody is willing to pay to maintain and preserve them!...if there is nobody to front the cash they merely become eyesores and old decrepit buildings that i have no problem seeing destroyed

It could have been a lot worse. The architect did a decent job. And 399 looks a hell of a lot better.

kooks- thats a very short sighted view. Most of the good things that have happened in Buffalo are BECAUSE of the interesting old buildings.

The only crime here is that all those who bitch and moan about seeing the shell of a home torn down ALLOWED IT TO GET TO THAT STATE IN THE FIRST PLACE. Don't be mad at the surgeon for removing your cancerous lung, be mad at yourself for smoking. Will this expansion win any awards for beautiful, historically significant architecture? I doubt it. Is it great to see a local business expanding rather than moving to some office park in the 'burbs? Yes, it certainly is.

The point is this, out of all the historic property's buffalo is full of. this is one small area that is supposed to be protected, in it's entirety. this means there should be no fights to save old buildings at all such as we do with churches, stables etc. elsewhere in the city. also, nobody had a chance to purchase and save this building as it was owned by the print shop and not maintained for years, same as Pano's did with the Atwater house. I also don't believe that Buffalo's sluggish economy would of bottomed out if they had moved to the suberbs. In fact who's to say if they did move then both of those property's would of been snapped up by a developer and gone condo/apts as the torn down building was massive, this may of brought 20 new residents to the area. Anyway, all aside, if the historic status is not enforced, then why bother at all? Or is it just a harassment tactic for homeowners to build stupidly expensive "authentic porchs and 1,800 dollar wood windows?

EricOak,

When the city masturbates at the prospect of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's "use" of Buffalo for its national meeting, and all the gushing preservationists pin another sign to their lawns, pitiful sagging female and male (I've got one) breasts, or hoist one at a rally: you'll know preservation Buffalo has matured. What's a silly little church, house, neighborhood ... a city. My God.

The City of Buffalo and the citizens herein do not have the resources to save every building. For the City to grow, there must be a mix of new build, restoration and job creation/retention. If there had been a reasonable chance of restoring the house an investor would have done it. Pardon me, but, unless one is a nonprofit or independently wealthy, an investment will be made to at least break even (if in love) or to profit. To condemn a City business because it wants to expand and provide jobs is myopic. I find it interesting that an article dealing with a building generates so many comments while the story of Joy McDuffie receives only one. From my perspective, the future of the City lies within her work. Otherwise, there will be more and more empty shells of the past.

again, they could have expanded ON SITE on EXISTING empty lands. Except that in buffalo, as onestar mentioned, it is ok to buy your neighbor, let it rot as an excuse to tear it down... even in a preservation district. That is a sad fact that in Buffalo nothing matters to politicians or authority boards besides money. If you have it, you can do whatever the hell you want. Watch the city bend over the every shake or the dollar bill. Delta Sonic, Pano's Keller etc.

Sure the expansion of a local business is great and needed but they could have done that without tearing down this building. Just because they owned it long enough to be a danger and an eyesoar somehow... only in Buffalo... is acceptable practice and without punishment.

T-Zone: Because people here dont want success, they want status quo, which is why these liberal idiots on this blog vote Democrat every election and then wonder why Hillary Clinton and Sheldon Silver and Byron Brown and Len Lenihan and all the other Dems do nothing year after year while this area suffers...

blackrock - i agree, but whose to say that this wouldnt turn into another livery debate or not be developed at all. To be honest..its more realistic to assume it would not be fixed up and renovated than to assume it would

That's one handsome flag Ralph!

But there are \ were other options if they wanted to look into them. There is a huge parking lot that sits empty 6/7 days of the week. Not the highest best use of land near our downtown that's for sure.

There is also a larger lot sitting vacant and hardly used On St Louis Place. Could have been connected to the back of their current building and only required a garage to come down.

Who knows if the other owners would have cooperated, this is where the city's planning team should come into the scene. The real problem with the scenario is that instead of demolition being a last resort... it is often considered the ONLY option in such situations. That is rarely if ever true. Look around, think outside of what is directly adjacent to you. Odds are you could have done a better project.

A Third option would have been to demolish the rear of the house only and used the front for offices etc and just exit onto the parking lot.