1/01/2008

Failing the Grade?

Frequent fixBuffalo readers have been seeing some of the amazing dereliction here on the City's east side that co-exists with the largest construction project in the City's history - the one billion dollar Joint School ReConstruction Project. My first attempt to address and understand the the complexity of this phenomenon was here - School House Project, March 2005...
The public health and safety problems confronting BuffaloPublic School students and neighborhood residents surrounding recently renovated Buffalo Public Schools is extraordinary. In public health terms it would be called an epidemic. Here, very little attention is paid to the role of abandoned, boarded, derelict and vacant houses. From an effective and smart urban policy perspective the continue reading...
From my office window I still see this house at 1466 Michigan Avenue.
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This is the view from the front porch, looking towards the new Arts Academy, less than 100' away.
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The City of Buffalo has owned this house for two years. When you click through the archive of posts/pictures about 1466 Michigan Avenue you'll quickly see that the Dept. of Real Estate has missed an amazing opportunity. I remember when the house got a new roof seven years ago - like what ever happened to an effective marketing strategy. Lots cheaper than the eventual demolition of a 3/3 double that is now going to dust and will end up in the landfill over the line in Lewiston, NY.
Posts about this 1466 Michiagan Avenue include: October 2007 - February 2007 - April 2006 - and this picture from January 2005!

Just a house, or a pattern of neglect and missed opportunity? Like to know...
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

No accountability or leadership. In that sense, Brown is no better than Masiello. Amazing that a fairly stable house on Rhode Island gets demo'd a week after some blog publicity yet this house, in much worse condition, rots. Pathetic really.

Anonymous said...

I am not in the area but here is an idea.


Blow up pictures of these homes and take them to every photo op Brown is at. After all, that is all he does.

Ask him about these.

Maybe send an email to the guy in NYC from Buffalo who published that article on how Buffalo would not come back. Only to get a response from Brown that things are on their way.

Show him this home and the story behind it.