fixBuffalo

5/15/2006

Remember 669 Genesee Street?

Last January I started keeping track of 669 Genesee Street (google map). I was shocked to learn that 10 years ago the City of Buffalo purchased this complex of buildings - with no plan for their long term use in place, on paper anyway - and had rented it out for four, maybe five years. I thought this complex of buildings would make an excellent location for artist lofts or some sort of intentional community. It's just a mile from Main Street, great bus service, the street scape along Genesee Street is framed by the Electric building downtown and the recently renovated St. Mary of Sorrows Church that houses the King Charter School.

I returned several times last year with various "urbex partners." * I'm still amazed with the view from the roof. Anyway...here's last year's story...lots of comments, pics...etc...

3/17/05 • 4/23/05 • 4/24/05 • 7/18/05

The water was still running in the basement when I visited early last week. The window sashes are all gone and the basement windows, as you can see from the photos are wide open and present a serious hazard to pedestrians. If this building were closer to Elmwood or North Buffalo it would be properly sealed. So, what do we do? John Hannon, Director of Buffalo's Real Estate Division is in charge of maintaining and selling surplus City property such as this. No "FOR SALE" sign or website...come on John...

I've placed this posts on Craig's List and attracted hundreds of hits from all over the northeast, Toronto and New York City. I've called Brian Davis's office, Ellicot Councilman and requested that it gets properly sealed. I gave it my best shot. I'm done.

We've sqaunderd our opportunity to properly seal and "moth-ball" 669 Genesee Street. The question is where is the $400-500K coming from to demolish it.

Any closing thoughts? Let me know...

* Never do this alone. It's dangerous, really.

__________________________________________________________________________
Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
Writing the City • Woodlawn Row Houses • Tour dé Neglect - 2006 • faq

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5/06/2006

Woodlawn Row Houses - May 2006

A new home for Performing Arts High School is becoming a reality diagonally across the street from this City owned - abandoned, boarded, derelict and vacant - local landmark. In addtion, the Merriweather Library is now open just a few blocks away and the African American Cultural Center is just two blocks away on Masten. And we all know about Artspace, a few blocks away, too.

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Residential real estate is gathering momentum just around the corner in Midtown. The sale of 38 Northampton a few weeks ago and the sale of three houses on Coe Place to a local architect are encouraging. They'll get the rewards for taking risks in this Artspace investment area. These row houses were originally home to four families in 1896 when they were built. Converted to eight units 15 years ago and slathered in vinyl siding at the same time, they are ripe for a conversion back to for family or perhaps even a two unit...

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Artists and crafts people take note...a side lot comes with the package! Roof top patio, too! Think, one unit for living, the other for creating! A deal for $7000K went bust 3 years ago! I'll be volunteering in Councilman Antoine Thompson's office beginning next week...get in touch if you want the tour! You could buy this from the City, I'm thinking, for alot less than that.

Here's the archive about the Woodlawn Row Houses.

Artspace Update...Behind 1219 Main Street

Readers of FixBuffalo have been following Artspace developments since December 2004 in the Artspace Archive. Great background material, photos and announcements.

Last week, while photographing 38 Northampton, an indication that residential real estate market is ripe for development, I took a few shots of the back parking lot area, behind the Post Office and soon to be Artspace complex.

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Northampton Street view, looking south
That's Coe Place in the background!

Looking at the ground here, you can see where a one story brick building used to sit. It was owned by the City, used by the elusive John Hannon Director of Real Estate and his staff for maintenance (yeah, right...). Love to know who paid for the demolition. In any case the site is now "shovel ready."

The Artspace project will have numerous entrances. In addition to the Main Street and Northampton Street entrance/exits, access to Artspace will also exist from Coe Place and Ellicott Street, pictured below.

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The map and picture over at Buffalo Rising is a bit misleading. Artspace now owns 1217 Main Street which is the corner building at Coe Place and local developer Mark Pagano just closed this week on 1219 Main the five story building. He will retain ownership of the adjacent building, where the Post Office is currently located. In an e-mail exchange with Mark a few weeks ago, he advised me that he'll be working with HHL one of Buffalo's most dynamic architectural firms to re-design the front of this building.

Additional views - behind 1219 Main Street

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For the time being the Post Office (Station C) will remain in Mark's building. A year ago PO officials told Mark they were planning to re-locate on the same day they held a public hearing. (Our government at work... Here's that story PO 14209 Re-Location.) While the mix of a Post Office and Artspace is really cool and firmly places this block in the epic-center of Midtown development, I'm wondering about truck traffic and parking with dozens of new euro-style artist spaces just a few feet away.

The truck traffic and parking issue were sited as the two primary reasons why PO people in Washington DC wanted 14209 to re-locate...

5/05/2006

East Side Grain Silos...

While making my way back to my Masten neighborhood the other day, I stopped here on Lathrop Street. I mean I've passed by these grain silos dozens of times over the years and took the camera out just the other day.

Cool places...

Just checked for the owner of record...on-line. Can't find it. Here's the google satellite image. I'll check property and tax records at City Hall, next week.

The only other East Side grain elevator, the Wollenberg Grain Elevator on Koons Avenue is owned by the City of Buffalo and is a stop on my PresCo sponsored 'Tour de Neglect' bicycle tour, later this year. Here' what that looks like...

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I took lots of interior pics and wrote this piece in February 2005. Here's the back ground and information about the structure and its historic significance. The totally insane thing about the place, other than the urban campers that use the place, is that the City of Buffalo is trying to sell this property sans "for-sale sign" or web listing. Way to go John Hannon - Director of the City's Real Estate Division...
Does anyone know if "City-Stat" will be tracking City owned property?

And so it goes...

Front Page News...in Buffalo, NY!

In case you missed the front page story in yesterday's Buffalo News, here it is...

This has been a constant battle between the shopping cart pushers parading down William Street and East Side landlords for years. It's getting worse as the price of scrap metal, particularly copper is going up...

Last time I checked, a shopping cart cost close to $300 to replace. Solution. Arrest people pushing shopping carts down William Street with copper plumbing and hot water tanks in the carts. Having a shopping cart in your posession is stolen property. Period. Grocery stores own shopping carts, people don't.

Don't believe me - on your way to the Clinton Market drive down William Street past R & R Salvage and see the parade of shopping cart scavengers for your self.

Pictures soon...love the Wikipedia entry for Scavenger!

btw...you should see what happens to aluminum siding!

Saving Transfiguration

Living and breathing abandonment and decay begins to weigh heavily on one's soul. I spoke with a British sociologist the other day. He was in town for a seminar at Buffalo State College. He told me about a Buffalo tour he had earlier in the morning and I recited a portion of the preservation catechism and it just fell out of my mouth in a reflexive way that seemed to shock our British guest. "You know at the turn of the 20th century there were more millionaires per capita in Buffalo than anywhere else in the country." Like even before I had finished what I had rehearsed he said, "So, you know live in a ghost town, a city that's a shadow of its former self."

I was thinking about what he said while I was taking pictures again of the Transfiguration Church later in the week. I've received e-mails from all over the country from former parishoners that are shocked and dismayed regarding the current condition of Transfiguration.

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I know local attorney, Bill Trezevant doesn't really care for me. He got his mother to sign and become the President of the corporation that owns this building. We last sparred in January. He ran for Ellicott District councilman awhile back and when I checked Board of Election records, none of his contributions, save from downtown law offices, came from residents of Ellicott District.

When I visit City Hall this week, I'll go next door to City Court and check on the the status of warrant for his mother and see if he's done the right thing and put up the money for Transfiguration's demolition. I'll be all over his ass if he stiffs and let's the taxpayers of this "ghost town, a city that's a shadow of its former self," pay for the demolition.

Check out the one pic. I was tipped off by a neighbor living nearby that the City's crew's were out earlier in the week with those barricades and yellow ribbon. Like the yellow plastic ribbon is going to help when more slate shingle slides off the roof...

My favorite Transfiguration pic - Must See!!
Here's the Housing Court History - Docket # 869/97

PS: Bill, I've picked up a dozen or so shingles off the sidewalk and side lawn. Let me know where I can drop them off. Thanks, David

Backsliding in Buffalo...

I really think the Diocese of Buffalo is forward thinking. Get over the fact that Bishop Kmiec has the list of churches and schools that he plans to close locked away in his desk, and imagine this place at Hickory & Eagle on the City's East Side 15 or 20 years from now becoming a fast-food joint.

Anticipatory adaptive reuse...only in Buffalo.

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This lastest McChurch sort of reminds me of the facade just below on the former K-mart building that was supposed to be the center piece of Broadway Fillmore retail resurgence. Here's another McChurch, over on Northampton.

Click through the Annals of Neglect for addtional pictures of this insanely stupid project the Diocese is doing...

998 Broadway...For Sale?

I was taking pics of the Transfiguration Church the other day after I was alerted to the new sidewalk barricades having been erected along Mills Street. I ventured further down Mills Street for another shot of the church and saw this...

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Guess 998 Broadway will be sold at a public auction in July. Or is it an old sign? I checked the CB Richard Ellis listings for Buffalo and couldn't find it.

Love the view of two of Buffalo's most prominent buildings...

5/03/2006

Craig's Back!

I got in touch with Craig Howard this afternoon from NorthCoast Online, Buffalo's dyed in the wool conservative blogger. The only Buffalo blogger who's visited this little corner of Masten and has had some choice words to say about one of my favorite posts, Where is Perrysburg?

If you've been looking for Craig he's got a new site, NorthCoast Online. Spread the word.

4/29/2006

557 East Utica...

Last week I drew some attention to this home at 194 East Utica. My post gathered some momentum as David Steele, frequent BuffaloRising contributor and Chicago based architect contributed this moving piece about the plight of 194 East Utica which drew dozens of comments.

Well this week we have another remarkable victorian home in distress. This home at 557 East Utica, according to long term residents in the neighborhood - yes there are still people who live here and remember playing on Humboldt Parkway, before it grew and metastatized into the scar that killed the East Side - has been vacant for six years. It was home to a family for more than 60 years...until the early 90's. According to the City's site, it's gone through a few cycles of ownership and a bank forclosure since then. In 2001 the house sold for $3800.00...

If you are interested in purchasing the property, e-mail me and I'll do my best to help you reach the owner via some of the neighbors. The roof appears to be new and as you can see from one of the pics two new electrical services were installed, too.

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Just down the street from 557 East Utica is 865 Humboldt Parkway pictured here at the corner of East Utica and Humboldt. It's one of the East Side's top ten!

What are you waiting for? Invest in Buffalo!