I’ve been thinking long and hard about the possibilities and potential of proper infill where our historic architecture has been compromised. Due to architectural losses at the hands of demo by neglect, fires, and wind, water, and snow, we have plenty of vacant lots to consider.
We have a responsibility to construct buildings that not only address the needs of a neighborhood, but also the aesthetics of a neighborhood. Unfortunately, due to poor design, cheap materials, value engineering, etc., we are usually left with buildings that are nowhere near the aesthetic value of their vanquished counterparts.
As for Allentown, and the horrendous losses of The Old Pink and Brick Bar, what will the future behold for those scorched lots? We must remember that the parking lot in-between these two lots is owned by the City of Buffalo, which means that there is a third parcel in question, when considering the future of the site.
Earlier today, I spoke to Fillmore District Council Member Mitch Nowakowski, whose district includes Allentown. Obviously Nowakowski will have a hand in how this all plays out, which is why it’s so important to start these conversations sooner rather than later.
The good thing is that Nowakowski is very concerned about all three of these sites, and is already coming up with some strategies that he feels will best suit the vacant parcels, and the neighborhood.
“Allentown’s built environment has suffered,” said Nowakowski. “We have to be cognizant and have fortitude. The lot owners will most likely sell, but what does that look like? Since the City owns the parking lot that sits between the two parcels, in my opinion that puts us in the driver’s seat. There is an opportunity to build something that is contiguous – something that enhances Allen Street with smart urban design and great materials – something that honors the historic nature of the street. I will play an active role, so that we don’t have feuding developers with individual parcels and crappy development jammed down our throat.
“Of course the lot owners can sell to whoever they want, but it would make more financial sense to sell to one developer that would be able to control the site. It’s expensive to build – it’s more financially viable to build upon a contiguous three-parcel site. The lot owners should also understand that it is the Allentown community that supported them and their businesses throughout the years. Now it’s time to do what’s right for the community that supported them. Whatever happens, the Preservation Board will vet the projects, the building materials, etc., since this is a Preservation District. At this point, I’m going to wait for the dust to settle before reaching out the owners, but I plan on setting up a meeting with them, Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN), The Allentown Association, and the mayor, so that we are all on the same page about building a project that does justice to the site.”
Although the Old Pink building was lost, Nowakowski told me that for the first time, he saw people really coming together to try to save the structure. He credits Bernice Radle Executive Director PBN for working around the clock, The Allentown Association for its efforts, and Mayor Chris Scanlon for coming to the table (something unprecedented for a Buffalo mayor) to try to figure out how to save the building’s facade, despite the building owner ultimately refusing to sign the paperwork needed to shore it up.
Unfortunately, at the end of the day, there needs to be another way to go about saving these at-risk buildings, according to Scanlon. Whether it’s ensuring that the buildings are code compliant with sprinkler systems, and/or coming up with emergency plans and protocols so that it’s not a mad scramble when a building does suffer from a fire, or water/wind damage. These are just a couple of issues that Scanlon will be addressing moving forward, so that we’re not always left in the lurch.
To this day, Allentown is still one of the most intact historic neighborhoods in Buffalo, with few parking lots and amazing density. But as we have seen with these recent detrimental blows, even that impressive intact status is at-risk. Hopefully the lessons that we learn with The Old Pink and Brick Bar will be the catalyst for trying to figure out a way to protect our historic built infrastructure that is constantly being threatened under our watch.