Could This Historic Buffalo Factory Be Demolished Due To Neglect?

Neighborhoods all over Buffalo and Western New York are filled with very old, and sometimes historic, buildings. These structures, which vary in size from itty bitty to massive behemoths, dot the landscape of our region and are a throwback to Buffalo's storied manufacturing past.

It's no secret that cities like Buffalo have struggled mightily since American manufacturing jobs started leaving the United States in the 1970s. Known as the Rust Belt, cities and towns along the Great Lakes have spent the last few decades trying to rebuild and rebrand themselves. Buffalo and cities like Detroit and Cleveland have gone a long way to embrace the buildings left since big industry has said so long to our regions.

All over the 716, you can find old factories and structures repurposed with new life breathed into them. Just take a look at Silo City, Canalside, and all over downtown. It's great to see an old abandoned building being redeveloped and turned into housing, new office space, or a cool brewery. However, there is one old building in Buffalo that had plans made for it, but it may not make it that far as it could have a date with the wrecking ball.

According to the Buffalo News, the former Wonder Bread factory could be in serious danger of being demoed due to an unfortunate series of events that has happened to the building's new owner.

READ MORE: Look Inside This Vacant and Abandoned Factory In Buffalo, New York

In a court hearing earlier this month, a Buffalo Housing Court Judge treated the building owner with demolition of the structure unless he started to make progress with the building redevelopment.

With more than 180,000 square feet of space, the colossal factory has been a landmark in Buffalo's MLK neighborhood for more than 100 years. The factory, which, according to Buffalo Rising, had a daily capacity of 100,000 loaves, plus 50,000 cakes and 20,000 rolls, has been largely abandoned and vacant for the last 2 decades since the bakery closed in 2004.

Canadian-born developer Harry Stinson purchased the sprawling complex in 2020 and planned a massive redevelopment project for the building to a convention and entertainment complex. Still, a costly arson fire at another property of his, the Buffalo Grand Hotel, has hampered his ability to get this project started.

It's unlikely the the building will be demoed due to a variety of reasons, including the fact that the building is on the National Register of Historic Places which gives it additional legal protections.

Warning

The information shared here is meant for entertainment and educational purposes only. Under no circumstances should you enter this property. Doing so risks bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing on private property. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you do not attempt to investigate the inside of abandoned buildings without proper knowledge, experience, and legal authorization.