Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The City of Buffalo has begun emergency stabilization work at two Cobblestone buildings on South Park Avenue severely damaged in a fire this past June.
"I've been down there every day since the equipment was delivered," property owner Darryl Carr told WBEN on Thursday.
"So far, it's been mainly removing debris. They removed two floors from the four-story building, and the center building is almost completely gone. No stabilization work has been done yet to the buildings."
Carr expects the work to continue for another two weeks.
The properties located at 110-118 South Park Avenue, adjacent to KeyBank Center, are at the center of a legal battle between Carr and the city of Buffalo.
The city wants the pre-Civil war era buildings preserved. Carr wants them torn down so that he can build a 55-story tower that would consist of residential and retail space.
"I have control and ownership of the buildings, although it doesn't seem that way," explained Carr. "The city has come in to stabilize buildings that are basically being held together by sand and inertia because the mortar is
completely gone."
The properties are also the subject of an eminent domain case. Carr is appealing three separate cases involving the properties.
The city has authorized a $400,000 payment for the stabilization, with the intention of billing Carr for the work.
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Carr also owns the nearby Cobblestone bar and restaurant. He told WBEN the stabilization work and the fire earlier this summer have taken a huge toll on his business. "The little traffic that we do get is eliminated right now."
He has been in business for 25 years and said he has a pretty good base of hockey fans that come to his establishment. In addition to the construction equipment around it, there is also work underway at the DL&W Terminal nearby. "We're just trying to make the best of it," added Carr.
