Senecas to raze historic city grain elevator
The Seneca Nation of Indians is planning to begin demolition of the historic H-O Oats grain elevator and mill Thursday.
The Senecas took ownership Saturday of 9 acres in the Cobblestone District to develop a casino. The site, which includes the defunct mill and silos, is bordered by Perry and Fulton streets and Marvin Street on the east.
A wrecking ball is scheduled to smash into the building at 10:30 a.m., one day before the Dec. 9 deadline to meet the terms of a gambling compact with the state. Gov. George E. Pataki is expected to be there for the ceremonial groundbreaking.
Empire Dismantlement, the demolition company, has been working at the former H-O site since Saturday. Electrical, gas and water lines were severed in recent days, and asbestos abatement is continuing.
The demolition of the mill building is expected to take as long as two months. The silos are expected to be demolished at a later date.
The H-O Oats complex was one of 16 grain elevators in Buffalo made eligible three years ago by the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.
"H-O Oats is a magnificent landmark," said Tim Tielman of Campaign for Greater Buffalo, which is filing a court injunction with other organizations to block the potential sale of the nearby Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad terminal for conversion to a casino.
"We're losing the type of industrial architecture that is valued so much that people elsewhere are resorting to building fake industrial loft space."
Seneca spokesman Phil Pantano declined to comment on the future of the H-O Oats site. With the nation continuing negotiations to acquire the DL&W Railroad terminal, it could choose to use the newly acquired property to build a new casino and/or a series of parking lots.
H-O Oats came to New York State in 1893, and the brick-and-concrete mill opened in 1912, one of several mills in Buffalo. The familiar towering concrete silos, painted silver with "H-O Oats" inscribed in black, were added in 1931. It has long been a landmark to travelers driving along the Niagara Thruway.
Oat production at the grain elevator ended in 1983, and a fire in 1987 destroyed a portion of the facility.
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