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…"