It looks like there might be some added hope for the Jersey Livery after-all. I just got off of the phone with Tim Tielman (Campaign for Buffalo) and he sounded encouraged with recent developments. It appears that a good chunk of the building might be salvageable, and if The City plays its hand right there might be a light at the end of the tunnel. Of course much of how this will play out will depend on how aggressive The City will be… this could be an incredible precedent set, as well as a warning to future slumlords. From Tim:
“The contractor has eliminated the load on the roof that was causing pressure on the front elevation of the building. The engineers that the neighbors hired (Kevin Connors and Peter Grace) developed some conceptual plans on how the building could be potentially saved. They have come up with two alternatives – the better of the two retains the first and second floors, the elevator tower as well as the third floor and roof that are still in tact in the back of the structure. Those are the features that could be saved for what it would cost to demolish the building.
“We think that the building could be listed as an historic landmark. Then there would be tax credits available to a new owner. By keeping the building standing, a future owner would have a lot of space to work with due to not being subject to the new building codes. If you were to knock down the building, it would be impossible to build a grand structure again. So the land would ultimately be less desirable. It’s up to The City whether Freudenheim will be the future owner. Everyone is cognizant of the building (The Falcon recently demolished and owned by Freudenheim) on Wadsworth that was recently demolished. The key thing for the neighbors is that government has an important role in making sure that society is protected by anti-social behavior. The City is acting properly in looking at this in a broader sense. I’m happy with the progress over the last 48 hours.”