Truly amazing how the St Lawrence Seaway crippled Buffalo the way it did. Doesn't seem as though Buffalo will ever fully recover unitl it reinvents itself with the same kind of demand for its geographic location.
too bad a grain elevator like this can't be put back to some kind of productive use.
To Buffalonians the grain elevator is a like a historical monument. To outsiders and visitors , it "can" represent the rust belt and demise of a once great city.
Perhaps it is better to knock it down?
My god, don't knock this down. The grandeur of these structures cannot be replaced. Buffalo has so much other waterfront land that can be developed. There are no jobs that would fill this peninsula.
Whenever I come back to Buffalo to visit family and friends, I always take time to drive by the grain elevators and spend time gazing at them. They ain't everywhere, so I have to appreciate them when I can. Simply clean up the land, plant some grass, maintain the property, and light up the elevators at night. In time, this area could form part of an historic park. There is such beauty here that must be reintroduced to the community for its appreciation.
KNOCK IT DOWN!!!! This is not Brandenburgh Gate, or the Tower of London, or any other great monument, work of art or great human accomplishment. These things are completely utalitarian. They were built just to have an industrial function, not for beauty or anything like it. Just because its old it does not mean its beautiful. I could take a crap and save it in a box. If someone finds it 200 years from now they are not going to go wow a 200 year old piece of %$&#, lets save it cause its old. Its the same thing with this grain elevators, they are nothing but a big silo to hold grain...nothing more, no art to design to beautification process was ever put into these things. The people who built them did not care to build a great structure, they wanted the cheapest most efficient way to unload, load and store grain. Knock them down and build something trully beautiful that can be a landmark. London Bridge is not great because it is a bridge, or because its old (not even that old), its great because it was build both to be functional, but beautiful...not just functional. Anyway...hope they knock this thing down along with all other old, beat-up ugly structures in the city...save the truly beautiful structures. Just cause somoene finds beauty in something does not make it a work of art...like I said if someone found beauty in a dump I took...well, I would not run to call my dumps a work of art!
KNOCK IT DOWN!!!! This is not Brandenburgh Gate, or the Tower of London, or any other great monument, work of art or great human accomplishment. These things are completely utalitarian. They were built just to have an industrial function, not for beauty or anything like it. Just because its old it does not mean its beautiful. I could take a crap and save it in a box. If someone finds it 200 years from now they are not going to go wow a 200 year old piece of %$&#, lets save it cause its old. Its the same thing with this grain elevators, they are nothing but a big silo to hold grain...nothing more, no art to design to beautification process was ever put into these things. The people who built them did not care to build a great structure, they wanted the cheapest most efficient way to unload, load and store grain. Knock them down and build something trully beautiful that can be a landmark. London Bridge is not great because it is a bridge, or because its old (not even that old), its great because it was build both to be functional, but beautiful...not just functional. Anyway...hope they knock this thing down along with all other old, beat-up ugly structures in the city...save the truly beautiful structures. Just cause somoene finds beauty in something does not make it a work of art...like I said if someone found beauty in a dump I took...well, I would not run to call my dumps a work of art!
Buffalo has the potential to be a major ethanol producer. Perhaps eventually the city will wind up selling the property to the emerging ethanol industry. Even if there isn't room for a plant at that site, the corn can be stored there and then transported by rail to feed other local ethanol plants such as RiverWright.
If you want to store corn somewhere, store it in a nice shiny new elevator. In the meantime, knock this ugly mess down and put something nice there instead.
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease, to the City" do not tear it down UNTIL there is an actual PLAN. "Shovel-ready" is NOT a plan.
I thought this particular site was privately owned by the former fire commissioner? What is being referred to is the former salt depot next to SeaWay Pier direction North. and it has about 7 acres, immediately adjacent of NYPA/Ice-boom property.
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeease, to the City" do not tear it down UNTIL there is an actual PLAN. "Shovel-ready" is NOT a plan.
I snuck into a couple of these grain elevators last week and was blown away by their magnitude. To think about the thousands of people that made their livings in these buildings and all the commerce that once passed through them was very moving.
I agree that something has to be done with them, but to simply knock them down with no plan of what to put in their place is silly. We should re-hab the ones in the best condition for other uses similar to what other cities have done. Knock down the ones that are beyond repair...
stephenjames716
I agree 100% with what you are saying in regards to the grain mills. I would like to get a peek inside one myself. I can only imagine how big they are from the inside!
BR note to self: Buy a map!
Here's another example of how Elmwood-centric you people are. If you traveled more than six blocks from E-wood you'd realize you know 'nothin about Outer Harbor geography. You're about a mile off in this whole conversation....literally. The cargill site that was sold is down near the coast gaurd station. there are no grain elevators on it, just weeds and salt residue.
Sorry, no cute grain elevators turned into boutique hotel rooms and kite shops for you!
If they are not going to tear down theses eyesores, at least paint them in the short term. As far as reuse, a hotel or condos could be cool, but unlikely do to $$$. As far as seed storage for ethanol, that has widely been established as a dead end energy source. I am sure the proposed ethanol project on the Buffalo River is on hold.
"These things are completely utilitarian" exactly... they were some of the very first purely utilitarian structures ever built the point where their form was completely dependent on its function. It started a whole modern movement in architecture. Ya know.. nothing important or anything.
KNOCK IT DOWN, maybe we sould keep all te old steel plants standing as well. Its time for Buffalo to move aead and not dwell on its past. Tese structures ad a place in time, its called istory. Today tis is a vacant eyesore to visitors. I would rater see a new siny ig rise condo ere. get over it people. te past is te past.
Bufflow- you are right. I have the wrong location. The elevator purchased is across from the Inner Harbor. Update coming.
Shut up sbrof you arrogant bastard. What you're claiming that Mies van der Rohe or Le Corbusier got their ideas from these monolithic pieces of junk? These things influenced neither a person or an architectural movement fool.
Bufflow - I think WCP is in California, just slightly outside the Elmwood Village boundaries. But go ahead and proceed with your stupid point regarding bro and the EV.
BRO - why not take off all the comments previous to the correction? They all revolve around the grain elevator and have nothing to do with the actual purchase.
BEST BET is that this property will sit titled, decaying and mothballed as is ,for mininmum 10 years..then new insurgence will say..hey lets do sometning with this gawd awful property..and the pencil necked preservationists with a mouthful of words and no money in their pockets will say...this structure is too important to Buffalo's hereitage...we cant knock this down and put a useful , tax supporting project here...and so it begins again..SAY...history does repeat itself..only more poignant ..here in Buffalo.
gambler you are the arrogant bastard and are obviously out of your element. our waterfront and subsequently the structures built along them as well as others through out our country were the inspiration for modernist thought and thus the style of architecture which followed. architectural leaders of that time such as mendelson, and gropius among many others visited buffalo for that very reason and these very structures. do you not see strong parallels between the large fluid forms of concrete and the fluid designs of today, or even modernist art. i won't even begin to discuss the effect of utilitarian thought on design and architecture. sbrof you are 100% correct, unfortunately some to do know when to keep their uninformed opinions to themselves.
Drove down Route 5 yesterday, work seems well underway on the reconstruction of Fuhrmann Blvd. as well. This is vacant land people, there are no grain elevators here. Thanks Bufflow and DJB..I agree with both of you. And utilitarian was an architectural movement, do some reasearch. NO guarantee that 100 years from now people will look back at the new federal courthouse or other structures we are currently building and call them beautiful either. This site is close to the Erie Canal Harbor, and if prior plans are implemented correctly, couples with the removal of the skyway, they can be ties intricately together. Expansion of the LRRT on the outer harbor and into this area should definately be considered. Why does Syracuse have passenger rail stations, and an actual stop at the Carousel Mall, yet we continue to devote money and time into a transportation option (automobiles) that continues to prove a drag on the environment and our pockets? Why can't exisiting rail lines be utilized or retrofitted to accompany the LRRT into the southtowns..it would make for a much better commute in the winter for those traveling from this corridor.
"In their heyday, the massive, imposing elevators were a source of great awe and had a demonstrable impact on European thought about modernism and architecture. The book demonstrates this in its descriptions and critiques by Rudyard Kipling, Le Corbusier, Bruno Taut, Vincent Scully and of course by the late Reyner Banham"
Buffalo's Grain Elevators: Wonders of Industrial Art
Just because you don't like them or think they are ugly doesn't mean they are somehow less important. This is not about being arrogant but instead about learning the great history of these structures from more than your car window.
SBROF couldnt be more right. while these structures might be utilitarian, that their intent. How can we possibly even dream of taking away a huge part of not only Buffalo's history, but the entire worlds history. These grain elevators helped to progress the entire modern movement in architecture. To tear them down would be a disaster, much like the Larkin
Buffalo already has shovel-ready property and there is plenty of room for companies. There is not a lack of space in the city. Removing grain elevators will not equal incoming jobs. Preserving the grain elevators and eventually incorporating them into an historic park will only encourage tourism. In order to fully appreciate them, it will be necessary for the public to have controlled access to them.
It's no secret that Mies van der Rohe and other architects were, indeed, influenced by these structures as noted above. The Roman Coliseum, the pyramids of Mexico, Mesa Verde in Colorado, and Indian ruins from Utah down to Peru -- these were functional buildings that were preserved. Yes, they're all very old; but, what are we preserving in our generation for the next generation?
The Granite Works was in worse condition than most of these elevators yet it was thankfully resurrected and it will help rejuvenate the area. (It could've more easily been torn down and made shovel-ready, but for whom?) Grain elevators, not simple warehouses but the monoliths of our time, should be seen in that perspective, too. It takes vision and patience. Buffalo should do everything it can to preserve what it can while it can.
Since it turns out that there is no grain elevator on that property, perhaps we should build a shovel factory there.
Light them up clean them up a little and see how beautiful they will look
Sharon Linstedt at the Buffalo News will surely thank Buffalo Rising for writing another story for her to use in tomorrow's paper.
kahawa- to be fair, I link to Sharon Linstedt's stories frequently. The property transaction showed up on the County Clerk website yesterday afternoon. Too late to write for today's paper. I don't have to interview anyone and write a lengthy story. Yet I still don't get it right oftentimes. Sharon with all of her sources and the News do a thorough job covering real estate and economic development news.
Give me one source (besides a book published in Buffalo) that ascribes the birth of Modern arch to the grain mills in Buffalo and I will whip myself in front of those mills while proclaiming my ignorance.
OK Gambler. The book is called "Towards a New Architecture" and it's by LeCorbusier, thought to be one of the most brilliant architects of all time.
Dont tear what down? Theres nothing on the site, its vacant. Look at the aerial images.
I didn't say quote a book about arch I said give me a quote abt the mills being the inspiration for Modernism. I read Corbus' book & there's no mention of Buffalo in there! He never even came anywhere near here.
It doesn't matter so much if we cannot precisley trace the influence of the buildings. When you explore these buildings and the surrounding industrial wasteland it is that experience at this point in time that is amazing. The extreme scales, the materials, the strange emptiness-- all within sight of the HSBC tower-- this is pure Buffalo.
Here's another book that references the importance of the grain silos in Buffalo to the development of European modern architecture. "A Concrete Atlantis", published by MIT Press.
Page 4: "LeCorbusier ... was unique in elaborately describing industrial prototypes for his architecture". The book contains dozens of photos of Buffalo grain elevators.
Page 6: "Erich Mendelsohn in 1924 writing to his wife after a visit to Buffalo, New York: Mountainous silos, incredibly space-conscious, but creating space...I took photos like mad".
Save a couple grain mills, the ones in better shape and closest to downtown. God forbid somebody gets creative with oine of them. But dont tear them down without a plan or a buyer for that piece of land. But anyway about this parcel, definitely a good acquisition for the city. Lets clean it up and get it ready for the market.
Want ideas on what this site could be? Head out to Rochester, specifically Sodus Bay area and take a look at how the beaches are done there. Now that, my friends, is what a waterfront is all about. Big, spacious, awesome piers that head directly out into the lake and lots of people when its warm.
Of course, there are a bunch of things that make this almost impossible in Buffalo. First, Rte. 5 is a dagger in the heart if you want to develop something like Sodus Bay. It is simply too close to the Lake and leaves little room for a beach and a parking lot. Plus, I'm not sure how contiguous the ownership of land is in that area and if the City of Buffalo could ever put together a meaningful waterfront project that was not be a hodgepodge of unconnected pieces. Also, and I hate to say this, Buffalo is not a waterfront city. Its just not people. Look at the amount of waterfront Buffalo has, its relative location to the city proper and the fact that Rte. 5 makes it inaccessible and you quickly realize that anything short of a Herculean effort to resculpt us into a waterfront city is going to make us one. And projects that throw up $500K condos accessible to only but a few of the richest in Buffalo probably isn't the best way to make a waterfront experience that is going to leave a warm fuzzy feeling in the hearts of all us.
My guess is that the following will happen. The city will scrape together enough money to tear down the facility, probably at the behest of whoever owns that harbor directly adjacent to it. The area will be redeveloped as a parking lot. The owner of the harbor will introduce some new piers, kickback to the braintrust who authorized the parking lot and then the Cargill site will be forgotten.
lol...power of the press, got everyone all worked up over and support a none existant grain elevator.
"Give me one source (besides a book published in Buffalo) that ascribes the birth of Modern arch to the grain mills in Buffalo and I will whip myself in front of those mills while proclaiming my ignorance."
Who is going to supply the whip?
This is the edge of where the buffalo bills new waterfront stadium will be. In corporation with the government and its new form of estate tax, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr's tax becomes a direct investment in the community. The US dollar soars high above the loon and guns and roses breaks the ribbon on their first reunion tour since the super bowl years.
carl...can we call them "the mailman elevators" in your honor...since it was your idea? I for one am all for it. all these people seem to think there are elevators there already so we can prolly build em without anyone noticing...
No need to build, Carl and Sleep, WCP can easily just photoshop some elevators on those images and be done with it.
Seriously, Chris, just stick some in there. What difference could it possibly make? The discourse on this blog rarely has any connection to reality anyway.
Could someone tell me when the ECHDC is going to do something with the outer harbor now that they took over the project/land from the NFTA? If they aren't capable of working on this at the same time as the inner harbor, maybe they should not have taken it on. I guess they never heard of multi-tasking! Then again, how would anyone know what they are working on since they don't have public meetings. I guess I am asking for too much, wanting to know how taxpayer money is being spent.
PS What is going on with the amount of time it takes to logon to this site in order to post?
gambler - the ignorant idiot is YOU!
sbrof is entirely correct - these - Buffalo's Grain Elevators - DID INDEED INSPIRE LeCorbusier and a host of other Architects and did indeed usher in the Modern Movement in Architecture - as any Architectural Historian will tell you. Don't believe us - LOOK IT UP IN ANY HISTORY BOOK!!!
If you don't know what you're talking about - you shouldn't post the @#!!%$# you post...
Report this