The preservation of the Great Northern grain elevator suffered a setback on Tuesday, when a State Supreme Court judge’s ruling came back in favor of ADM – the owner that is hoping to demolish the significant structure, which is an integral part of the fabric of Buffalo’s waterfront. The ruling lifted a restraining order that blocked the demolition.
Not to be deterred, The Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture has vowed to continue the fight to preserve, restore, and reuse the grain elevator, as part of an expanded State Park along the Union Ship Canal.
The Great Northern has been a designated Buffalo landmark since 1990.
Tim Tielman, founder of The Campaign, said his group has people monitoring the site, and is hoping to secure a restraining order. To that end, he is asking Governor Hochul to step in and purchase the structure, seeing that the City of Buffalo, per usual, isn’t interested in preserving monumental landmarks such as this.
“As long as ADM owns it, it will never be saved,” said Tielman. “They have been trying to destroy it for 30 years. We are hoping to negotiate a sale, or use eminent domain to take it. The building needs to be restored, and leased privately for revenue in conjunction with Buffalo Harbor State Park. As more and more people are discovering the waterfront and using it for recreational purposes, this building will, one day, be a significant contribution, as it has 400 feet of frontage along the Ship Canal. The ground floor is an acre. We could put dozens of small businesses in there… it would be the biggest art space in the city, with 100′ high ceilings.”
The Great Northern is the last of its species - the technological marvel of the steel-chassied, brick-jacketed grain elevator.
Tielman noted that the City is standing on the sidelines once again, which is why he is looking to the State for support.
“All of the big preservation projects that we have seen in Buffalo are thanks to the State’s money, as the City sits on the sidelines. The City should not be aiding and abetting ADM’s negligence. ADM retained a lawyer from an expert-for-hire-website who convinced the judge that the building is in jeopardy of falling down, which totally contradicts the record. The judge completely disregarded the facts, and was predisposed to side with ADM. He went out of his way to denigrate preservationists. He wanted to know where we were 30 years ago. Well judge, we’ve been trying to save the elevator for 30 years, but don’t let the facts stand in the way of your decision.
ADM bought the structure in 1993 and neglected even baseline maintenance ever since.
“Whether we win or lose in the courts, the Great Northern over the last seven months has shown that it is not going to fall over because a section of curtain wall fell off, and that, as eminent engineering organizations and documentary architectural historians have found, the building was designed to stand even without any walls at all. What endangers it is the neglect of its owner. We therefore propose a new owner, the State of New York. With state support, the Great Northern can be a crown jewel of the state’s Buffalo waterfront lands, and a crown jewel of the state park system.”
Following is the letter to Governor Hochul: