BUFFALO, N.Y. — Preservation groups are worried that the City of Buffalo could lose its two oldest buildings along the waterfront left from the booming days of the Erie Canal.
The two structures in the city's Cobblestone District were badly damaged in a fire Tuesday night. The cost of the damage is estimated at $1.1 million, according to the Buffalo Fire Department.
City officials said during a news conference Wednesday that the buildings would not undergo emergency demolition but rather efforts to stabilize them would be taken.
The news came as a relief to Paul McDonnell, President of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo History Architecture and Culture. McDonnell has been part of a more than decades-long effort to save the two buildings because of their historical significance.
"These two buildings are the only pre-civil war buildings left on the waterfront," said McDonnell.
The buildings were constructed in the 1850s and weren't always alone. McDonnell said similar structures used to be littered along the waterfront and helped support Buffalo's shipping industry.
"Boilers, metallurgists, all types of industries," McDonnell said.
Tim Tielman, the former President of the Campaign for Greater Buffalo, told 2 On Your Side that the buildings once housed blacksmith shops and during the Civil War operated as a bakery that made hardtack, a type of unleavened bread for Union soldiers.
The Campaign for Greater Buffalo is all too familiar with the two Cobblestone buildings located at 110 and 118 South Park Avenue. The group sued the owner, Darryl Carr, in 2011 in an attempt to force him to maintain the buildings, but it went nowhere McDonnell said.
The fire is just the latest problem and that's why preservationists are doubling down.
"Buffalo's quote-on-quote renaissance has happened because of our historic architecture. There isn't a lot of new construction in Buffalo, but there is a lot of historic rehab," McDonnell said.
The buildings are registered national historic landmarks as of 2014 meaning any alterations will need the approval of the City of Buffalo's Preservation Board.
During an interview with 2 On Your Side on Wednesday, Board Chair Gwen Howard said she believes the buildings should be saved.
"You know, we've been spending millions and millions of dollars to recreate with new buildings, to replace what's been lost, but here we have the final remaining buildings that make this a historic district," Howard said.
In a statement Preservation Buffalo Niagara Executive Director Bernice Radle echoed the sentiments of her fellow preservationists:
"Preservation Buffalo Niagara wishes to thank Mayor Byron Brown for putting the breaks on any emergency demolition of the fire damaged, but entirely salvageable, historic building at 110 South Park Avenue. This extra time will allow experts to assess how the building can be stabilized so that this historic treasure erected in 1852 and the oldest structure on the Buffalo waterfront can still become a significant part of the tourism and economic development picture in Canalside.”
During Wednesday's news conference, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said the city would continue its effort to take the property through eminent domain, a process it started in September 2023.
McDonnell said any salvage work on the building will likely require a new owner and developer but that's easier said than done.
He added that select demolition will likely be needed but ultimately believes: "We can bring this building back."