4/23/2014

Larkin Power House - Demolition or Preservation?

A battle to save the Larkin Power House, 635 Seneca St., may be next on the preservation community's agenda. On the heels of the successful bid to save Trico Plant No. 1, the scuttlebutt now is that the Larkin Co.'s iconic power house is slated for demolition.

                                                                     Saved ! - 7/22/14

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I confirmed these rumors on Tuesday afternoon, when contractors who were removing hundreds of bricks from the facade of the building told me that the building would be "imploded in about a month."

Does this mean that plans by Seneca Holdings LLC to reuse the building for loft apartments are off? No demolition permit has been filed, according to the Department of Permit and Inspection Services, but activity at the site does not bode well.

The Larkin Power House is one of Buffalo's industrial icons. It cannot be lost. Stay tuned for details. I suspect this will be the next big fight.

Update - The Campaign for Greater Buffalo is on this and will be submitting a landmark application to the City's Preservation Board, possibly tomorrow. 
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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Landmark it now. And a Larkin Historic District is a no-brainer, surprised it doesn't already exist. No one in their right mind would suggest demolition of an historic building in Buffalo today.

Anonymous said...

You've come a long way David since your Coe Pl. days! Love your commitment to the East Side which certainly needed a champion to sunshine the plight east of Main.

ShariYS said...

@Anonymous1: two words: St.
Ann's. Guess that means the diocese is stark staring raving mad.

Unknown said...

I would demolish it. It's similar to what you learn as a kid with Lego's. You can build something great, but then you can demolish and build something just as splendid or even greater. http://www.priestly.ca/demolition.aspx

Unknown said...

What would they put in its place? If there isn't a clear reason other than that the building is old, then leave it. It might be structurally unsound.

Anita Mas | http://www.digdigdemolition.com.au/demolition.html

Unknown said...

I have seen how people do house demolitions and the amount of time it takes to plan one out really goes to show how careful they want to be. There is a lot that they have to do before and after the demolition is done. That way no one will be harmed and things will go better.
http://www.digdigdemolition.com.au