In the works since 2007, Queen City Farm was never able to take ownership from the City of the property that was to be the home of QCF. Last night, the structure at 194 E Utica St, a.k.a. the Engel House, burned to the ground.
According to QCF Executive Director Rod McCallum, grant requests for renovation fell through as the economy plunged, and QCF turned attention to developing its vision for the surrounding property while trying to keep the Engel House secure for future renovation.
“At about 2:30 this morning my wife got out of bed and looked out our bedroom window to see the entire house engulfed in flames,” McCallum says. “Our bedroom looks directly out over the property and the Engel House. The entire roof burned and caved in. I imagine demolition contractors are bidding for the emergency demo as I type this.”
McCallum notes that his is the 6th home to burn on his block in the two years he has lived on this block of Buffalo’s East Side. In addition, the Woodlawn rowhouses and numerous other houses have burned in the surrounding block in the last two years.
This high number of fires and the roughly $10,000 premium that demo contractors receive for emergency demos begs a question, according to McCallum. “I see a number of individuals on the streets every day that would be willing to do almost anything for a quick buck, let alone a $50 or something. It’s hard not to connect the dots, but the houses keep burning and we keep paying the high price of tearing down our city.”
He ends by saying, “We’ll see what the future holds, but the Engel House will certainly not be a part of it.”
This comes one week after Mayor Byron Brown announced a 114% increase in arson arrests and a 47% decrease in arson fires since 2005. The numbers may be down, but some landmark structures are lost forever.
Less to burn? According to a City statement, 2009 marked a four year low in arson fires in Buffalo – in 2005, the city recorded 556 arson fires; last year, 296 arson fires were reported (47% decrease) and the Fire Investigation Unit of the Buffalo Fire Department oversaw arson investigations that led to 109 arrests, versus 51 arrests in 2005.