Following the completion and
dedication of the new Federal Courthouse on Niagara Square, Congressman Brian
Higgins is requesting action for the Dillon Courthouse. Higgins has asked the
U.S. government’s landlord agency to move quickly to transition the former federal
Dillon Courthouse for future use. In a letter to the U.S. General Services
Administration, Higgins points out, a back-fill plan for the Dillon Courthouse
would include the U.S Bankruptcy Court, the US Trustees, the Federal Defender
the US Tax Court, and other federal offices. Unfortunately no progress has been
made in this direction.
“Niagara Square is home to
the Dillon Courthouse, the new U.S. Courthouse, the Statler, City Hall and the
gateway to the Buffalo Convention Center, representing a magnificent coming
together of Buffalo’s history and future,” said Higgins. “We are pressing to make sure that
federal bureaucrats understand that swift action on a reuse plan for a
structure that sits at the epicenter of Downtown Buffalo is not only their
responsibility but critically important to our community and economy.”
The Dillon Courthouse was
constructed through the funds provided by the Emergency Relief and Construction
Act of 1932. President Franklin D. Roosevelt actually laid the cornerstone in
1936 because he recognized the important partnership between the federal government
local officials in creating public works to move forward and rebuild the
economy after the Great Depression.
The building is a
contributing structure in the Joseph Ellicott National Register Historic
District. It was renamed in 1987 for Michael J. Dillon, a longtime Internal
Revenue Service employee who was killed in the line of duty.
Below is Congressman Higgins’
letter:
Dear Administrator
Tangherlini
I write today out of concern
for the future of the former Dillon federal courthouse located on historic
Niagara Square in downtown Buffalo.
Now that the new federal courthouse has been completed – with its
impressive beacon adding dimension to Buffalo’s skyline – progress on
renovating the former Dillon courthouse must commence. It would be a tragedy if the General
Services Administration made an investment in one part of Niagara Square while
seemingly disinvesting in another federal government owned building just across
the street.
It has been my longstanding
understanding that a back fill plan for the former Dillon federal courthouse
exists and that the building would house the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the U.S.
Trustees, the Federal Defender and the U.S. Tax Court upon completion. Indeed your agency has long indicated
this back fill plans as fact. Yet,
no demonstrable progress on this plan has been made public as of yet. I strongly urge you to proceed expeditiously
with this plan to ensure the full utilization of this historic federal
structure.
Please respond as soon as
possible. We look forward to working with you on the successful transition of
the Dillon courthouse so that both the new and old courthouses can achieve
their proper and full use.
Sincerely,
BRIAN HIGGINS
Member of Congress