City of Buffalo blocks demolition of Cobblestone District buildings

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Another attempt to demolish the historic Buffalo Cobblestone District buildings following a fire in June has failed as owner Darryl Carr’s demolition request was denied Thursday.

No discussion followed the public hearing, with the Buffalo Preservation Board unanimously rejecting the demolition of the historic structures.

Carr tells WIVB News 4 that the board’s quick decision makes him feel like his arguments are falling on deaf ears.

“I’m just hoping that, you know, we can resolve this, and I can move ahead, present my project, and secure the funding that I need,” Carr said, referring to plans of a skyscraper of rental units he hopes to build in place of the Cobblestone.

Carr requested a demolition permit after a massive fire tore through the buildings earlier this year. He and his contractor, Wargo Enterprises, who was not at the meeting, say the structures were “severely damaged by the fire beyond repair” and “pose a risk to public safety and health.”

“We sit with two story walls freestanding, and really there was no stabilization, just a cleanup of the property,” continued Carr.

The board’s demolition refusal came after short comments from Carr, Preservation Buffalo Niagara and a letter from Councilmember Mitch Nowakowski which claimed the demolition application was, “a direct affront to every board member present, to local historic districts, the rule of law, and to the City of Buffalo.”

“We very strictly consider the requirements of the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Preservation,” said Chair of the Buffalo Preservation Board, Gwen Howard. “So, there are two standards that apply to demolition of properties. We reviewed those in the meeting and felt that the application was not consistent with those standards and therefore, denied it.”

Carr says according to city code, the building should be demolished.

“113-15 of the City code, which says if there’s a 50% loss in your buildings the property must be demolished, and the city didn’t abide by that code,” Carr said. “They basically said, ‘We’re going to do an emergency stabilization.’ They just demolished almost 70% of the structures … There’s nothing stabilized.”

The city says Carr is responsible for paying back the taxpayer money being used to shore up the buildings.

“These are the oldest remaining buildings in downtown Buffalo,” said Howard. “So, it’s most important to preserve what we have, in addition to replacing things. But we want to start with saving what we have.”

A pending eminent domain case is currently playing out in court. A judge most recently sided with the city to move forward with taking over the Cobblestone buildings.

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Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.

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