Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The damaged grain elevator on Ganson Street in Buffalo won't be demolished anytime soon, and perhaps ever, following a court order issued Tuesday.
It's another win for preservationists in the ongoing saga of the Great Northern grain elevator along the Buffalo waterfront came Tuesday in the form of yet another preliminary injunction.
The Campaign for Greater Buffalo History, Architecture & Culture, has been granted a preliminary injunction to preserve the Great Northern grain elevator pending a decision by the New York Supreme Court Appellate Division for the Fourth Department on the issues raised by the Campaign regarding an emergency demolition order issued by the City of Buffalo and a lower court ruling favoring the City early last month.
"We are glad that the court agreed with the need for an injunction to prevent any action to demolish the Great Northern," said Campaign attorney Richard Berger. Campaign lead attorney Richard Lippes said "We are grateful that the appellate court recognized the importance of the Great Northern to Buffalo and beyond."
The Campaign sued the City of Buffalo and Archer Daniels Midland Milling to block the emergency demolition in December in State Supreme Court.
"For me, it's tremendously encouraging," the campaign's Tim Tielman told WBEN. "The court, if they thought we didn't have a chance to prevail, probably wouldn't have given us this preliminary injunction."
The elevator sustained damage to its brick cladding during a windstorm on Dec. 11 and on Dec. 17 the city issued an emergency demolition order.
The Campaign contends that the building is structurally sound, that demolition is unnecessary, and that ADM should be required to repair and maintain the building, which they have not done during its ownership dating to 1993.
The Great Northern has been a designated Buffalo landmark since 1990.
