Historic buildings face demolition
Buffalo preservationist who stepped in to save two historic downtown buildings from the wrecking ball now faces allegations of building code violations and a pending demolition order.
The city has cited Jessie Schnell Fisher's Triangle Development for numerous building code violations related to the deteriorating condition of the two post-Civil War structures at 85 and 91 Genesee St.
The city also has filed a request in Housing Court for a demolition permit to raze the remaining shell of 85 Genesee St., calling it "structurally unsound and dangerous."
"This situation goes back quite awhile. Both buildings are seriously deteriorated, and the problems have not been addressed," City Development Commissioner Richard Tobe said.
Fisher declined to discuss the city charges and demolition effort but hinted something could happen soon that will affect the buildings' future.
Tobe said he is well aware of the history of the buildings and Fisher's effort to save and redevelop them, but he said the physical condition of the structures can't be ignored.
"The conditions are extremely poor, or we wouldn't have sought a demolition permit; however, if it is granted, we will ask for Preservation Board review before beginning demolition," he said.
That block of Genesee Street, between Ellicott and Oak streets, is one of the few places in downtown where a string of original buildings lines an entire side of the street.
While most of those structures are shells, their interiors long gone, city planners have continued to eye the strip as a prime redevelopment site.
Built in the mid-1870s, 85 and 91 Genesee St. are no strangers to hard times and neglect. Vacant for three decades, they were twice targeted for demolition, barely escaping a 2001 attempt when Fisher, an urban planner, persuaded the Buffalo Urban Renewal Agency to let her try reviving them.
In early 2002, aided by $50,000 in city funds that had been earmarked for demolition costs, she began planning the rebirth of the then-city-owned buildings. Her company, Triangle Development, bought the structures in October 2002 and began gutting the interiors and bracing the exterior walls to prepare them for rehabilitation.
Plans were floated for a mixed-use complex involving both buildings that would bring in new retail outlets and offices.
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