Seneca
May Keep Grain Elevators
As reported by the Buffalo News:
"The H-O Oats grain elevators on the site
of the planned Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in
downtown Buffalo might have a future as part
of the casino complex.
"The
Seneca Gaming Corp., now in the process of selecting
an architect to design the Buffalo gambling
facility, has asked the five finalists to come
up with two sets of plans - one incorporating
the milling structures and one without them.
"…Following
the Seneca Nation's selection of a nine-acre
site along Michigan Avenue in the city's Cobblestone
District, preservationists raised concerns about
the fate of the elevators. Erected in 1931 at
the corner of Marvin and Perry streets as part
of the H-O Oats milling operation, the cluster
of elevators has been idle since 1983.
"In
2002, the state Office of Parks, Recreation
and Historic Preservation made the elevators
eligible for listing on the National Register
of Historic Places, but that process was never
initiated.
"The
Senecas recently finished demolishing the derelict
milling and warehouse structures that stood
next to the silos, but the elevators remain
untouched. Despite the outcry from the preservation
community, the Senecas had remained quiet regarding
the possible inclusion of the silos in the casino
blueprints until now.
"…While
the Seneca Nation has opened the door to making
the H-O Oats silos part of its casino plan if
the cost is not prohibitive, it also is researching
the cost to raze them. Pantano confirmed Seneca
Gaming has solicited bids from several demolition
companies to bring the elevators down…"
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