BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Tucked behind the hustle and bustle of the Clinton Bailey Market sits an empty 1,900 square foot building that was built in 1930. Over the past year, the structure has become controversial.
Eight years ago, the Clinton Bailey Market Board tried to restore the art deco style building, designed by the George S. Rider Company of Cleveland, Ohio.
"In September 2014, Patrick Burke's office informed us that neither the county nor the city were interested in helping us revitalize the market," Sharon Baldi, the Clinton Bailey Street Market manager, said.
In an email exchange back in 2014, Baldi was told Erie County and the City of Buffalo, "have not been interested in taking on any additional responsibilities."
The board decided to get an architect to create a new building shortly after receiving that email.
Baldi said figuring out where to place the new structure was complicated. She said there are numerous issues, like broken pipes, below the concrete floor of the approximately six acre market. After years of considering options, the board decided the only place they could build new was where the current building is.
The new design is a 1,900 square foot one story building that would be ADA compliant. The current building has a basement and upstairs. The first floor is simply a hallway. The bathrooms cannot be accessed from inside the building. Right now, the restrooms don't work.
"Something that our guests and our guests, our customers, and our community could actually enter with ease, without any liability," Baldi said.
The board closed the building about a year ago because they're concerned about people getting injured inside. A fence surrounds the building because the board said they worry if someone gets too close, they may get hit by a falling brick.
"There's bricks falling out of it, and we can't have people getting hit with bricks. Right now it's completely out of service with the lavatories and what have you because it's compromised," Dennis Bengert, a member of the board of directors and the project manager for the new building, said.
In November 2021, once the plans for the new building were complete, the board requested a permit to demolish the current building. The board said the City's Preservation Board and Fillmore District Common Councilmember Mitch Nowakowski said no.
"I understand the structure needs significant repair, but in fairness, the cooperative has owned this structure for generations, and it bears responsibility for its current condition. This outdoor market is a staple in the City of Buffalo. It is universally understood that I deeply respect the farmers and growers who provide beautiful produce at the Clinton Bailey Market. I ask that they respect the Buffalonians that have been loyal customers to The Niagara Frontier Growers Co-operative for almost a century—while this application for landmark status is under consideration by the Common Council. As the cooperative moves to expand and evolve, there are members of community and myself that want to help them flourish and succeed for generations to come," Nowakowski told 7 News in a statement.
"It's not economically reasonable for us to invest in a building that we don't want. Where were they back in 2014 when they told us they didn't want to help us?" Baldi said.
The board said the cost of restoring the building would be exponential.
"Just to update it, to modernize it, and make it handicap acceptable, would be more than a new building is going to cost us with elevators and other things," Bengert said.
On January 19, 2022, common council members, the preservation board, neighbors of the market and board members toured the building together. Nowakowski said he hasn't heard from the board since.
On September 28, 2022, Nowakowski's office sent Baldi an email about applying for the East Side Commercial Building Stabilization Fund.
"Grants doesn't mean you're going to get them. It's shaking the dice," Bengert said.
Vendors said the lack of restrooms is causing them to lose business.
"It's a big deterrent. They leave earlier, and they don't get everything they want or need. It keeps people from coming back," Archie Owrey, a vendor at the market said.
Those who live in the area said they want a new structure and aren't shocked the city won't let it happen.
"This area never gets anything from anybody because they're so small," Mary Taber, who has lived in the neighborhood for 70 years, said.
There will be a public hearing about the building on October 25 in the Buffalo Common Council Chambers.
"We need to improve. We need to step forward, and we're being held back," Paul Desiderio, a vender at the market, said.
