Bethlehem Steel Administration Building - Voice Your Support!

Press Release: May 17, 2012
Contact: Tom Yots, Executive Director
Phone: (716) 852-3300
Email: director@p-b-n.org

Public Statement re: Bethlehem Steel Administration Building - UPDATE & ACTION

Preservation Buffalo Niagara is calling on its membership, as well as the rest of the Western New York community, to advocate for the retention of the Bethlehem Steel Administration Building. Although a significant amount of community support has been generated to save this National Register Eligible building, a local news outlet has reported that the City of Lackawanna has continued to pressure the current building owner, Gateway Trade Center, to move ahead with the emergency demolition order planned for this Friday, May 18th. It is Preservation Buffalo Niagara’s hope that the City of Lackawanna postpones this order to allow for a larger public discussion regarding the future of this historic structure.

Preservation Buffalo Niagara is urging all individuals concerned over the potential loss of yet another irreplaceable historic asset to contact the City of Lackawanna, specifically:

            -  Mayor Geoffrey M. Szymanski
                         - Phone: 716-827-6464
                         - Email: mayor@ci.lackawanna.ny.us

            - Council President Henry Pirowski
                        - Phone: 716-827-6489
                        - Email: citycouncil@ci.lackawanna.ny.us

            - Code Enforcement Officers: Joseph Geyer and Steve Bremer
                          - Phone: 716-827-6474
                          - Email: codeenforcement@ci.lackawanna.ny.us

Please urge the Mayor and his staff to reconsider this irreversible and short-sighted decision. Concerned citizens can also voice their support by signing this petition.

Additionally, Preservation Buffalo Niagara would like to extend an invitation to the City of Lackawanna to explore the process of becoming a Certified Local Government (CLG). Certified Local Government’s enjoy a variety of benefits including technical support from the New York State Historic Preservation Office, grant opportunities for endangered historic structures as well as local preservation ordinances, which insures the opportunity for meaningful public input and protects the interest of the public in preserving the collective community heritage.

The Certified Local Government Program is coordinated and administered through the State Historic Preservation Office. Preservation Buffalo Niagara would like to offer the City of Lackawanna, and any other municipality, its expertise in facilitating the creation and implementation of CLG status for their community.

Download a pdf verison of this statement by clicking on this link: Public_Statement_-_Bethlehem_Steel_Update_-_5-17-12.pdf