Last week on December 4th, Preservation Buffalo Niagara announced their push to have the Delaware Court Building designated as a local landmark. The building has been threatened with demolition since plans to build a new 12-story structure in its place were made public by the owner earlier this year.
The local landmark application for the Delaware Court Building went before the Preservation Board last Thursday (12/5) for their approval but was tabled by the Board for being ‘incomplete’. Watch Channel 2’s coverage of that meeting HERE. The Preservation Board had previously voted to approve the demolition permit and decided against landmarking the building. Preservation Buffalo Niagara received confirmation in October from the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) that the building is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Preservation Board is expected to make a final decision on the landmark application for the Delaware Court Building at their next meeting on December 19th at 3pm in room 901 in Buffalo’s City Hall. The public will have an opportunity to provide input to the Board at this time. PBN encourages all interested individuals to attend and persuade the Board to approve the landmark application. You can read the full application by clicking here.
Below is PBN’s original press release from December 4th for reference:
Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) fully supports the Board’s decision to pursue local landmark designation for the Delaware Court Building. After having an opportunity to review the landmark application (Click here to view the application), PBN believes that the Building is eligible for listing as a local landmark as the Building meets the criteria outlined in the Preservation Ordinance. Although designating the Delaware Court Building as a local landmark can not ultimately prevent the Owner from demolishing the Building, PBN firmly believes that the resulting community input would be vital in the discussion surrounding the future of this community asset. Local landmark designation is a vital privilege entitled to the citizens of the City of Buffalo and must actively be pursued in order to ensure the uniqueness of our city and region.