[FONT=Verdana]A demolition crew began taking down the historic H-O Oats grain elevator Saturday as a small group looked on in protest. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]State Supreme Court Justice Joseph G. Makowski on Friday refused to block the demolition of the 75-year-old grain elevator at Perry and East Market streets, paving the way for development of the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in downtown's Cobblestone District. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]That didn't stop about a dozen protesters from gathering across the street about half a block away Saturday. Though mindful their actions were largely futile, organizers hoped to draw attention to the grain elevator's architectural and historic significance. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]"We don't want [this] to happen again," said Timothy Tielman, executive director of Campaign for a Greater Buffalo, a preservation group. "We want our elected officials, from Mayor [Byron W.] Brown on downward, to think about our architectural history." [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]Tielman faulted the mayor for not using his powers to deny the Seneca Gaming Corp. the necessary permits to block off parts of Market and Fulton streets to accommodate the demolition. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]A fixture for motorists on the nearby I-190, the grain elevator also has become a symbol for local preservationists in their battle to save buildings. It is the only inland grain elevator in the city. The Meyer Malting grain elevator, 1318 Niagara St., also is being demolished this week. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]In addition to being an important part of the city's early economic history, Tielman said Buffalo's grain elevators are internationally renowned for their unadorned, utilitarian design, which he said has been documented in a photographic collection by the Historic American Engineering Record and the Historic American Building Survey, both units of the National Parks Service. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]Asked why the decision was made to begin demolition over the Memorial Day weekend, Philip Pantano, a Seneca Gaming spokesman, insisted it was not to avoid public attention. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]"We didn't start any earlier because we wanted to talk to residents who live in that area first. We did that [Friday evening], and there was no indication that they were opposed to what we are doing," Pantano said. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]The demolition is expected to take six to eight weeks. [/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]Even though the Senecas previously said they would consider incorporating the grain elevator into the design of the casino, Pantano said subsequent engineering studies revealed that it would be too costly because of the narrowness of the individual silos in the grain elevator. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]"It would have cost in the tens of millions of dollars to make it code [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]compliant," he said. "There were also some structural issues having to do with visible cracks and portions of the concrete missing near the roof." [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana]Erie[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] County[/FONT][FONT=Verdana], meanwhile, was granted a show-cause order by Makowski Friday, allowing the county to continue fighting the project in court.[/FONT]
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[FONT=Verdana]The 9-acre site on which the casino will be built is now sovereign Seneca territory. "All of the work going on is compliant with all of the federal regulations and all of the necessary permits and licenses have been granted," Pantano said. "Now we're just focusing on the progress of this $125 million economic development project." [/FONT]
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