The set of buildings known as the Blacksmith Shop at 110 South Park Avenue, in Buffalo’s historic Cobblestone District, remains vacant and rotting. There are no signs of the court ordered stabilization. This recent image was posted on Facebook by the Buffalo Young Preservationists. It shows a once solid brick wall dissolving onto the sidewalk due to decades of neglect. DECADES!
Meanwhile, Buffalo is seeing unprecedented interest and investment in its shrinking collection of historic buildings. Yet, this building, one if the oldest remaining in the city and region sits rotting away. This is a wasted resource. There is no reason, that it should not now be a productive part of the city. How much potential tax money is being lost here because of this neglectful owner? How much value is sucked out of surrounding property because of the condition of this building? WHY DOES THE CITY ALLOW THIS TO CONTINUE!!?
Here is a call to action from the Buffalo Young Preservationists:
Pick up your phone and dial 311 right now.
Let 311 know that Darryl Carr, owner of the blacksmith shop at 110 South Park avenue / 23 Illinois street deserves to be in jail for neglecting his properties. See the photo below – more bricks are falling everyday. Where is housing court?!? The owner was supposed to comply and fix the violations but continues to do nothing. This deserves to be saved – it’s located in a prime downtown location, its tax credit eligible and in a local and national historic district!
[Edit – This call to action names Darryl Carr. I do not know for fact that Darryl Carr is the current owner and do not know if the penalty should be jail time for whoever owns these buildings. It is reasonable, however, to call on the city to enforce its building code laws and impose any penalty available under the law available to enforce that code to insure safe, attractive, and economically functional streets and neighborhoods.]
I would add that you should also call your councilman and the mayor’s office and demand that they start protecting the city’s valuable historic resources. This kind of thing should no longer be tolerated.