Harris Hardware Building

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169 East Ferry Street, 2009

DEMOLITION, January 17, 2019
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Photo credit: David Torke, fixBuffalo, PBN

169 East Ferry Street, Buffalo NY 14208

Owner

  • Elizabeth Banks

Physical Description

  • The building retains an exceptional number of original features and details, including attractive street-level and roofline cornices, decorative brick and ironwork, stone window archways, leaded transom windows, mosaic tile entryways, stacked window bays, and more. The original arrangement of the first-floor commercial windows and doors, along with the layout of the six residential units on the second and third floors, remains intact. (Buffalo Spree)
  • “It’s one of the last remaining mixed-use buildings that’s extremely ornate architecturally along the East Ferry corridor from Main Street to the 33,” says David Torke of FixBuffalo.

Current Condition

  • DEMOLISHED January 17, 2019.
  • Architects and others who have inspected the building note that its shell is strong, but much needs to be done to rectify years of water damage and deferred maintenance. A cost estimate developed in March shows it would likely take about $175,000 to stabilize the building and bring it up to code, and together with exterior and interior renovations, the total cost to make it viable could reach close to $1 million. (Buffalo Spree)

History

  • Home of the first African-American-owned hardware store in Buffalo.

Recent Events and Actions Taken

  • DEMOLISHED January 17, 2019.
  • Deterioration of the roof and front façade led to an emergency demolition on January 17, 2019
  • Was on the Preservation League of New York State’s “Seven to Save” list of endangered properties in 2010.
  • June 2015: Chris Schmidt reports in Buffalo Rising: "In what would be a significant historic preservation and East Side win, developer Nick Sinatra is looking to purchase the Harris Hardware Building at 169 E. Ferry Street."

Other Pertinent Facts

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Added 2013-01-07 • Last changed 2019-01-17