Heritage Tourism: Adaptive Reuse in a Post-Industrial City

HERITAGE TOURISM: HERITAGE TOURISM: LACKAWANNA, NYLACKAWANNA, NY

ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST- INDUSTRIAL CITYD A R R E N C O T T O N / / D E P A R T M E N T O F U R B A N P L A N N I N G / / U R B A N D E S I G N

B U F F A L O S C H O O L O F A R C H I T E C T U R E + P L A N N I N G

HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY

DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Lackawanna and later Bethlehem Steel

Plant located in Lackawanna, NY was one of the

largest industrial centers in the county. The complex

allowed for an interplay between technology,

utility, structure and economics to create an urban

form that, while highly vernacular to the city itself,

has left an incredibly rich landscape behind. Several

decades after the plant’s closing, fewer and fewer of

these original buildings remain to tell Lackawanna’s

story. One building that does remain, however, is

the Bethlehem Steel Administration Building. An

incredible example of Beaux-Arts architecture, the

Administration Building sits vacant and vandalized

at a critical gateway between the city, Route 5, and

the waterfront.

By leveraging the resources of local

institutions, while extracting best practices from

case studies across the country, Lackawanna has the

potential to create a template for cash-strapped

municipalities to preserve and reuse their heritage

structures in a way that does not dilute or commodify

these buildings’ importance to the material culture

of the municipality. Utilizing historic tax credits that

would be made available once the building is listed

on the National Register of Historic Places creates a

financial incentive for stakeholders interested in the

building’s redevelopment. Similarly, Lackawanna’s

Brownfield Opportunity Area provides a vehicle

with which to assess the building and market the

site, while also engaging the public and building a

network of supporters around its preservation. By

incorporating greenspace and a waterfront park

into a publically accessible complex, the Bethlehem

Steel Administration Building site has the potential

to truly transform outdated perceptions of

Lackawanna for both residents and visitors alike.



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I. INTRODUCTION

II. HISTORICAL CONTEXT

III. EXISTING CONDITIONS

IV. CASE STUDIES

V. ANALYSIS

VI. RECOMMENDATTIONS

VII. IMPLEMENTATION

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Zoning

Context and Ownership

Shoreline & Seaway Trail

IX. CONCLUSION

Pre-existing Plans

17

18ENDNOTES

Public Health Service Hospital

Manayunk Public Library

VIII. ACTION PLAN TIMELINE 16



LIST OF FIGURES

FIGURE 1 - Bethlehem Steel Building Footprints

FIGURE 7 - Administration Building Interior

FIGURE 2 - Historic Steel Mill

FIGURE 3 - Administration Building Historic Photo

FIGURE 4 - Administration Building Northern Wing

FIGURE 5 - South side of Administration Building

FIGURE 6 - Northern Wing Disrepair

FIGURE 8 - Union Ship Canal Context

FIGURE 9 - Context Map

FIGURE 10 - Proximity Map

FIGURE 11 - Shoreline Signage

FIGURE 12 - Public Health Service Hospital After

FIGURE 13 - Public Health Service Hospital After

FIGURE 14 - Manayunk Public Library

FIGURE 15 - Architectural Detailing

FIGURE 16 - Fuhrmann Boulevard

FIGURE 17 - Urban Design Cross-section

FIGURE 18 - Heritage Detailing

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13FIGURE 19 - 3D Visualization 14FIGURE 20 - Site Signage 15

HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 1


I. INTRODUCTION

Western New York is a region that has seen

its population stagnate over the past few decades

even as its development footprint has ballooned

out to second and third ring suburbs. This has led

to a growing trend of abandonment, blight and

wholesale demolition of neighborhoods in the

urban core. One of the communities burdened

by this unsustainable form of development is the

City of Lackawanna, NY. With a history inexorably

linked to the rise, growth, and eventual decline

of the Bethlehem Steel Company, one of the

largest employers in the region, Lackawanna has

struggled to transition its economy past traditional

manufacturing. Additionally, saddled with the

remediation and legacy costs of redeveloping

Bethlehem Steel’s sprawling waterfront site as seen

in Figure 1, Lackawanna must find a way to transform

this liability into an asset. Perhaps nowhere is this

more apparent than in the decaying façade of the

once grand Bethlehem Steel Administration Building

seen by thousands of cars on Route 5 everyday. Yet,

how does a municipality facing population loss, an

eroding tax base, and dwindling federal dollars

possibly mothball and preserve heritage structures

such as the Administration Building that might one

day provide the foundation of urban revitalization?

This project seeks to identify and evaluate

the possibility of not only mothballing this structure,

but utilizing it in innovate ways

that put it back into productive

use by the community. The

Administration Building, along

with the few other heritage

structures like those seen

in Figure 2, are part of the

material culture of Lackawanna

and are intrinsically linked to

its past. While the ecological

and economic ramifications

of brownfield redevelopment

are often lauded as the most

important components of

returning sites such as these to

productive use, redevelopment

efforts divorced from a site’s

Figure 2 - Bethlehem Steel Plant (HABS / HAER)

Figure 1 - Bethlehem Steel Plant building footprint circa 1984. Note that the land targeted for greenspace next to the Administration Building has never been built upon and thus only low level remediation will be required. (Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society)

HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY2


context, its history, and urban environment risks

producing nothing more than a

“landscape of consumption that belies a sort of tabula rasa planning.”1

Efforts to preserve the Administration Building and re-imagine the surrounding waterfront site must be tempered with a greater understanding of their individual and communal significance within the city’s cultural framework. Not only is there an opportunity to save a building of both architectural and historical significance, but there is also an opportunity to leverage the redevelopment of the surrounding grounds into recreational greenspace that will allow an urban population to rediscover a waterfront that has been inaccessible for over a century by weaving into the region’s Shoreline Trail.

The Lake Erie waterfront should be conceptualized as one contiguous destination not beholden to any single municipality. Right now the boundary separating Buffalo from Lackawanna is further delineated in a noticeable lack of proper streetscaping and landscaping. The Administration Building and adjacent land, along with Union Ship Canal, Small Boat Harbor, Tifft Nature Preserve, Gallagher Beach, etc. all strung together by a contiguous bike path, nature trail and scenic byway are one of a kind attractions that will continue to draw more people to the waterfront and act as an impetus for continued reinvestment.

II. HISTORICAL CONTEXTLackawanna is a relatively small post-

industrial city in Erie County New York. As of

2010, the city had a population of just over 18,000

residents. The city is 6.1 square miles and is bordered

on the North by the city of Buffalo, the east by West

Seneca, the South by Hamburg and the West by

Lake Erie. The city is served by state and interstate

highways, rail, and is also home to the region’s

only deep water port. The city’s history, its present

conditions, and even its existence are due in large

part to its largest employer at one time, Bethlehem

Steel Company. To understand the basis for this

project and the direction it takes Lackawanna in,

one must understand the birth, rise, and fail of the

region’s steel industry

In the spring of 1899 a group of enterprising

Buffalo businessmen met at the Buffalo Club to

discuss the region, its direction and its future. Their

motivating factor was to lure the Lackawanna Iron

and Steel Company from Scranton, PA to the shores

of Lake Erie. After raising $2.5 million in private

capital, land along the shore of West Seneca was

purchased and assembled as it was advantageously

located near water and rail. Construction of the

mill began in 1900 and would finish less than a year

later. 2

The company was reorganized as the

Lackawanna Steel Company in 1902. Eventually the

western portion of West Seneca was incorporated

as an independent municipality, taking the name

Lackawanna. Lackawanna Steel was eventually

folded into Bethlehem Steel in 1922 as the aging

machinery and unionization efforts had begun

cutting into their profits. At its peak, the steel plant

employed over 20,000 people and was responsible

for nearly 70% of the city’s tax revenue.

Due to a rapidly evolving international

economic system and the rise of globalism,

Bethlehem Steel had allowed its plant in Lackawanna

to fall into obsolesce. In 1982 the plant official

closed its doors laying off nearly 10,000 workers.3

Only a few ancillary departments employing a few

hundred people remained active on the site. After

being designated as a Superfund site by the EPA,

subsequent remediation work has demolitions

all but a few industrial vestiges of the world’s

largest steel plant at one time. One of the few

buildings to remain from the plants early days is the



administration building.

The Lackawanna Steel Administration

Building was constructed in 1901 by New York

Architect L.C Holden. As seen in Figure 3, it was built

in a Beaux Arts style, with highly ornate detailing.

When it was first constructed many commented that

the building did not look like a typical corporate

headquarters. One observer remarked “It looks

more like a museum, even suggesting in general

outline the building of the Buffalo Historical Society

in Delaware Park.” 4 The building is one of the few

Beaux Arts buildings remaining in the region and

thus plays an important role in rounding out the

region’s architectural lineage.

Wings were added on to the original building

to make room for additional offices and labs. The

south wing was added first, between 1909-1910,

while the north wing, seen in Figure 4, was added

approximately 10 years later, between 1919-1920. 5

The building is where a majority of the executive staff

operated out of during Lackawanna Steel’s existence

and into the buyout facilitated by Bethlehem Steel.

Many workers and their families recall having to

pick up their paychecks from the office and being

amazed at the grandeur and opulence of the

structure, especially compared with the conditions

faces by many of these same workers. The office

included many modern amenities and consisted of

“3 fireplaces, library, billiard room, reading room,

private dining room, and private bath.” 6

The Administration Building became the

“North Office” after a new office was constructed

further down Route 5 in Hamburg. Mechanical,

electrical, plant security and utilities were then

transferred into the North Office building. 7 The

building was vacated when the plant closed in 1982.

While different reuse scenarios for the

vacant building have been entertained over

the years, no steps have been taken to properly

mothball the property or stem its deterioration. The

development of a comprehensive preservation plan

for the building is becoming an increasingly critical

issue, as demolition by the city remains a constant

threat. In both 2006 and 2009, the city council

passed resolutions that would have authorized

an emergency demolition of the property. 8 9

Fortunately, these demolitions were contingent on

state funding that was never ultimately allocated.

III. EXISTING CONDITIONSA majority of the analysis for this project

was developed from site visits, historical research,

Figure 3 - The Lackawanna Steel Administration Building upon completion in 1901 (Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society)

Figure 4 - View looking south towards the Administration Building. The utilitarian north wing abuts the beaux-arts main building. (Author)



and case studies. While touring the site it became

evident that the building was not secured properly

and had become the target for vandalism. A majority

of the windows had been broken and no effort had

been made to board them up to protect the interior

from the elements. Due to liability issues, an interior

tour was not possible, but from pictures available

online one is able to ascertain the extent of damage

done by water infiltration. Most of the ceilings have

collapsed along with those staircases that hadn’t

already been pillaged. While most of the interior

would be unsalvageable as evident in Figure 7, the

façade and masonry work of the exterior are in

remarkably good condition. No noticeable shifts

or cracks in the foundation were recorded and all

walls appears straight and structurally sound. While

looking at historical photos it became evident that

the elaborate copper cornice had been removed or

fallen off at some point. The roof seemed to be in

poor condition, especially around those dormers that

were left open to the elements as evident in Figure 5.

Interestingly enough, it appears as though the more

Figure 6 - The northern wing of the building is in a state of serious disrepair due to water infiltration. (Author)

Figure 5 - The entrance on the south side of the building was actually used as the original main entrance. (Author)

Figure 7 - The extent of the interior water damage is clearly visible. A patched roof and boarded windows would help in creating a weather tight envelope around the building. (www.flickr.com/photos/tunnelbug/)



contemporary additions to the building are in

the worst shape. Large utilitarian windows

seen in Figure 6 were missing, exposing entire

floors to the weather. A majority of the glass

had already been broken.

As seen in Figure 8, the site itself is

surrounded on its eastern side by barbed

wire fences. This significantly detracts from

the visual appeal of Fuhrmann Boulevard and

creates a disconnect between the Union Ship

Canal, pedestrian pathways and the street.

The lack of maintenance and investment

seen along the public right-of-way further

reinforces the municipal border between

Lackawanna and Buffalo.

Context and Ownership

The site under consideration for this project

is approximately 5.6 acres and consists of the

Administration building as well as the land running

north from the building to the Union Ship Canal as

seen in Figure 9.0.

- Site Frontage: 805 feet

- Site Depth: 303 feet

- Site Area: 243,915 square feet

- Site Acreage: 5.6 acres (43,560 sq.ft./acre)

It is only a few hundred feet from the

border between the City of Lackawanna and

the City of Buffalo. The site runs parallel to New

York State Route 5 and is accessible via Fuhrmann

Boulevard. From Fuhrmann Boulevard, the site is

approximately 300 feet deep and from the Canal

to the south side of the property is 800 feet wide.

The site’s main connector to the rest of the city is

Ridge Road, which cuts under Route 5 and bisects

Fuhrmann Boulevard less than a mile south of

the Administration Building. It is currently owned

by Gateway Trade Center, a subsidiary of Buffalo

Crushed Stone and is part of a much larger complex

0 0.1 0.20.05 Miles

COMMERCE DRIVE

LAKE ERIE

NORTH

RIDGE ROAD

UNION SHIP CANAL

PORT OF BUFFALO

FUHRMANN BOULEVARD

FUHRMANN BOULEVARD

5.6 ACRES

NEW YORK STATE ROUTE 5

HIGHWAY

NYS SHORELINE TRAIL

TARGET AREA

BETHLEHEM STEEL ADMINISTRATION BUILDING AND GROUNDS

BUILDING FOOTPRINT

Figure 9 - Relationship between the Administration Building and its context. (Author)

Figure 8 - Looking north towards Union Ship Canal. The chainlink fence and lack of streetscaping creates a visual disconnect between the Administration Building in Lackawanna and a redeveloped Fuhrmann Boulevard n Buffalo. (Author)



TRAVEL TIME IN MUNUTES

BETHLEHEM STEEL ADMININSTRATION BUILDING CONTEXT MAP

NORTH 0 0.35 0.7 1.4 MILES

NYS Shoreline Trail

I-190

Destination

Bethlehem SteelAdmin Building

Tifft Nature Preserve - 2.0 miles

Union Ship Canal - 0.2 miles

1 1 3Botanical Gardens - 1.5 miles

3 7 27Downtown Lackawanna- 1.8 miles

4 9 35

Central Business District - 5.1 miles

10 24Inner Harbor / Naval Museum - 4.5 miles

9 20NFTA Small Boat Harbor - 2.0 miles

5 6 21

5 6 21

Figure 10 - The Administration Building’s proximity to other developments/destinations in the immediate vicinity along with multi-modal travel times. (Author)



that includes the Port of Buffalo (deepest port in

Western New York). 10 A satellite office of the water

authority is located in a one story brick office to

the South of the administration building. The main

entrance to the site is located to the south of this

office building with a surface parking lot fronting

Fuhrmann Boulevard. To the immediate west of

the property further into to Gateway Trade Center

are several large metal clad warehouses. These

are primarily used for the transfer and storage of

material. The portion of land that is targeted for

green space is used for outdoor storage space. A

pedestrian bridge crossing the Union Ship Canal,

along with improved streetscaping and expanded

boardwalk are all located near the Route 5 gateway

for this site and the successful Buffalo Lake Side

Commerce Park.

As seen

in Figure 10, the

A d m i n i s t r a t i o n

Building is ideally

located at a critical

juncture between

the region’s largest

concentration of

jobs in Downtown

Buffalo, the ever-

expanding number

of attractions along

the Outer Harbor,

and the major

thoroughfare of

Ridge Road leading

into the heart

of Lackawanna. In this capacity, a redeveloped

Administration Building would act as a connector

and waypoint for multimodal transportation along

the Outer Harbor.

Zoning

The Administration Building and its

grounds are located within a stretch of land that

runs parallel to Route 5. This land has a zoning

designation of Business Park (BR-BPA). 11 Due to

the high visibility of these parcels from Route 5

and Fuhrmann Boulevard, they function as “the

face” for the entire Bethlehem Steel Company site

as it redevelops. The northern part of this zoning

designation where the Administration Building

is located is not considered a Brownfield Cleanup

Program Area. This area has been targeted for

office, commercial, and research and development

activities. 12 Railroad tracks that once ran parallel to

Route 5 have been moved further into the interior

of the property increasing the attractiveness of

these parcels for redevelopment. 13

Shoreline & Seaway Trail

The site’s northern boundary is also part of

the City of Buffalo’s Shoreline Trail, which itself, is

but a small segment of New York State’s Great Lakes

Seaway Trail. The 454-mile Trail runs along Lake Erie,

Lake Ontario, the Buffalo River, the Niagara River,

and the St. Lawrence River. The Shoreline Trail is

New York’s only U.S. Department of Transportation

National Scenic Byway, which are a collection of

byways that highlight a region’s unique natural and

cultural characteristics. The goal of the program is

to encourage travelers to stray from the interstate

highways to explore the different cultural and

historic experiences in towns and cities across the

country. The Trail contains historic sites ranging from

those involved with the Underground Railroad, War

of 1812, Erie Canal, and various other heritage sites.

As part of the program, Municipalities enjoy byway

marketing assistance and funding for heritage

projects such as the signage seen in Figure 11, as

well as restrictions against billboards from the

Department of Transportation. 14

Figure 11 - A sign for the Shoreline Trail located in Union Ship Canal Park. (Author)



IV. CASE STUDIES Two contemporary case studies were chosen

for their relevance to the proposed redevelopment

of the Bethlehem Steel Administration site. The

studies follow the redevelopment and conversion of

two abandoned institutional buildings into modern

upscale residential communities. Together they

chronicle the importance heritage and community

can play in the redevelopment of these unique

landscapes and prove that not only is a project like

this viable, but it’s happening in cities across the

country right now

Public Health Service Hospital

Built in 1875 and originally called the U.S.

Marine Hospital, the Public Health Service Hospital

located several miles outside of downtown San

Francisco initially tended to the needs of merchant

seamen. A new hospital replaced the old in 1932,

and two wings as seen in Figure 12 were added in

the 1950s. The Public Health Service Hospital ceased

operations as a hospital in 1981. The hospital

remained partially occupied until 1989 when its

final tenants vacated the premises. The hospital

sat vacant, becoming a magnet for vandalism,

vagrants and crime, until 2009 when the structure

was targeted for adaptive reuse as part of a much

larger redevelopment of the 1000+ acre site (the

Location:

Located approximately 4 miles from downtown

San Francisco within the 1491 acre Presidio Park

Size:

• 30 acres

• 400,000 sq/ft

Cost:

$75 million

Barriers to Development:

• Working with the constraints of a National

Historic Landmark District

• Cost of demolishing the hospital’s non-historic

wings

• Potential incompatibility with the Presidio’s

Vegetation Management Plan, ongoing quail

habitat conservation, or the Presidio Trails and

Bikeways Master Plan.

• Environmental remediationFigure 12 & 13 - The Presidio pre- and post-rehabiliation. The non-historic wings were demolished to restore the building to its original grander. (http://thepresidiolandmark.com/)



Presidio) the building sat on. 15

In April 2003, the Presidio Trust issued a

Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to rehabilitate and

lease the former PHSH complex. The RFQ required

that the main hospital building, listed on the

National Register, be rehabilitated and converted

to residential use. During the RFQ process the Trust

staff met with neighborhood, environmental, and

preservation groups, individuals, and government

agencies to discuss both the environmental review

and the leasing process. The Trust ultimately decided

on four alternatives that reflected the concerns of

the public in which the developers were to work

within the parameters of.16 Selected by The Presidio

Trust after the RFP process, Forest City proceeded

with the rehabilitation of the historic buildings. The

project architect decided that the non-historic wings

could and should be demolished. The remaining

historic seven-story structure seen in Figure 13 was

renamed the Presidio Landmark and now houses

154 luxury apartments. 17

What this case study has shown is that not

only is the preservation of a building appropriate,

but so too is the restoration of a building through

selective demolition to its original design aesthetic.

The demolition of the Hospital’s non-historic wings

have helped restore the building’s grandeur and

iconic nature, while still retaining a level of integrity

to allow for access to historic tax credit funding.

While the markets of San Francisco and Lackawanna

are extremely disparate, the two buildings’ poor

accessibility and lack of connection to the rest

of their respective city create similar hurdles

to redevelopment. The threat of both real and

perceived contamination also makes redevelopment

increasingly difficult. Finally, both of these buildings

have experienced abandonment measured in

decades, leading to an argument often cited that

they are too far gone to be redevelopment. Yet,

the successful redevelopment of the Public Health

Service Hospital after more than twenty years of

being neglected and vandalized has proven this is

simply not the case.

Manayunk Public Library

The next case study comes from a working

class neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Built in 1909 by renowned Philadelphia architect

Benjamin Rush Stevens in the Beaux Arts style, the

Manayunk branch of the Philadelphia public library

stands as a testament to the power of community

organizing and the enduring architecture of former

institutional buildings. The building was originally

constructed as part of the Andrew Carnegie Library

Endowment Program and was one of the grandest

built in Philadelphia at the time. During the 1960’s,

with a rapidly suburbanizing population and falling

tax revenues, Philadelphia found itself in a situation

much like Lackawanna does today. The Library was

decommissioned and sold to a neighboring nursing

home. It would remain part of the nursing home

until 2006 when it was vacated after the nursing

Figure 14 - The Manayunk Public Library as it looked when it first opened. The Beaux Arts detailing is very similar to what is seen on the Administration Building. (HABS/HAER)



home consolidated its operations. 18 Though it has

been underutilized for more than half a century, the

library retains an amazing amount of its architectural

integrity on the exterior. The outside still features

the decorative terracotta window surrounds, entry

portico with charcter-defining ionic columns, and

deeply sloped rafter tails. However, similar to the

Administration Building, a majority of the interior

has been compromised over the years.

In the past year, the building had been

targeted for demolition by the Philadelphia

Residential Development Corporation as part of the

redevelopment of the adjacent nursing home. Due

to the buildings iconic status in the neighborhood,

and an incredible push back from community

organizations, however, the PRDC has since

incorporated the library into the redevelopment

plan as seven condominiums. 19

Although the library is of a smaller scale

than the Administration Building, it shares many

similarities and provides insight into the possible

reuse of the building. Located in working class

neighborhood of rowhouses, the Beaux Arts building

is nearly as conspicuous and non-contextual as the

Administration Building is fronting the Bethlehem

Steel brownfield site. The Beaux Arts architecture

and renowned architect of the Manayunk Library

lend themselves to National Register eligibility and

an opportunity for the developer to take advantage

of historic tax credits. The lesson to be drawn from

this case study is the power grassroots organizing

and public sentiment can play in pushing adaptive

reuse over demolition. Due to the Administration

Building having no residential neighborhood in close

proximity and a rather negative public perception,

the importance of community organizing and a

public awareness campaign becomes increasing

apparent.

V. ANALYSISThe North Office Building is not currently

listed on the National Register of Historic Places,

however, according the criteria for eligibility, the

building would qualify under criterion A which states

a building is “associated with events that have made a

significant contribution to the broad patterns of our

history” as well as criterion C which states a building

“that embodies the distinctive characteristics of a

type, period, or method of construction, or that

represent the work of a master, or that possess high

artistic values, or that represent a significant and

distinguishable entity whose components may lack

individual distinction.”20 The building fits criterion A

because it reflects Lackawanna’s importance in the

industrialization and manufacturing legacy of the

region. The building is also eligible under criterion

C because of its type of architecture. Architected-

designed in a Beaux-arts style, with grey brick on

a rusticated ashler, the building typifies a high

style. Decorative ornate features that are easily

identifiable on the front and side facades are:

• Copper pediments with dental molding and rectangular modillions

• Highly stylized Corinthian brick pilasters

• Port hole windows

• Pedimented copper 3rd story wall dormer

• Corbelled entablature (Figure 15)

• Palladian window

• Swags, ballistrades, cartouches and number of other classical details

Figure 15 - Example of an ornate entrance featuring a corbelled entablature (Author)



Due to the extensive deterioration of the

office wings added to the back of the main building

and the fact that they would be noncontributing

to the NR nomination, it is recommended that any

reuse plan would target them for demolition. Once

the building is listed on the Register, if redeveloped,

the building would be eligible for 20% federal

historic preservation tax credits.

Pre-existing Plans

It is clear that the overall vision of this project

is in line with the city’s comprehensive plan which

defined one major goal as developing Lackawanna’s

regional identity by marketing its industrial heritage.

The Bethlehem Steel Administration Building is

specifically mentioned in the city’s local waterfront

revitalization plan, which states:

“The fomer employment office of the Bethlehem Steel Plant represents a unique architectural form within the former steel plant complex. Due to the importance of steel making operations to the growth and development of the City, It is in the public interest to promote the preservation of locally significant structures which can serve as a reminder to our area residents of the site’s history. Public and private dollars shall be used… to rehabilitate the structure into a regional trade center.” 21

The current approach to the Administration

Building from Union Ship Canal is not congruent

with the vision set out by the comprehensive

plan addendum. The property to the north of the

administration building is largely used for storage

and has been chainlinked off from the rest of the

shoreline trail. This does not “improve the scenic

beauty”. Visual cohesiveness should be an integral

part of Fuhrmann Boulevard regardless of the

municipality in which it is located. As evident in

Figure 16, this boulevard has the opportunity to

become a major north to south greenway connecter

for use by automobiles, bicycles, and pedestrians

alike. The area around this site is one major link in

that greenway and has the potential to truly connect

Lackawanna with its waterfront.

Figure 16 - Fuhrmann Boulevard functions largely as a multimodal road, trail, and bike bath in the City of Buffalo. The portion of the road in Lackawanna lacks such amenities. (Author)



VI. RECOMMENDATIONSCity officials should approach Buffalo Crushed

Stone and Gateway Trade Center into either deeding

over the land or entering into a long term lease that

would include both the building and the surrounding

property. A proper structural analysis should be

done of the building to make sure that it is in fact

salvageable. From reports and communications with

experts in the field, it looks as though the more

contemporary additions are less structurally sound

than their historical counterparts and could in fact

be candidates for demolition. As seen in the case

study of the Public Health Service Hospital where

non-historic wings of an NR listed building were

demolished, this is both feasible and appropriate.

Once a structural report is in place, the property

should be stabilized and properly mothballed for

future reuse and as funds become available. The

building should be listed on the National Register in

order to gain access to historic tax credits and bring

increased attention to the structure. National Register

status would also protect the building from being

demolished using state or federal funding. Thus, if

the city council were to draft a resolution advocating

for demolition as it did in 2009, the Restore New

York funds that had been targeted for that purpose

would have been ineligible. Local landmark status

should also be discusses and explored as it would

provide protection from demolition even in cases

where private rather than state of federal funding

is involved.

Improved lighting, fencing, and support

structures should be implemented to keep

deterioration from progressing any further. Once

the structure is secured the city should work

collaboratively with Buffalo Crushed Stone to

acquire the property that runs from the North of

the building to the Union Ship Canal. Greenway,

green infrastructure and bike path should all be

extended along Route 5 to improve circulation and

reinforce the idea that the waterfront transcends

any one municipality. Streetscape improvements and

roadway reconfiguration as seen in Figure 17 should

be assessed as part of Lackawanna’s First Ward

Brownfield Opportunity Area.

While historic tax credits may help offset the

cost of rehabilitating the building, synthesizing the

vision for this site with the long term community

and economic development goals of Lackawanna’s

Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) provides the best

avenue for realizing this project. Currently in phase

two of a three phase development program, the First

Ward BOA in Lackawanna is undergoing an in-depth

analysis of the area’s existing conditions as officials

attempt to identify those resources that can best be

leverages as a catalyst for future revitalization. One

of the recommendations outlined in this project has

already been identified by Lackawanna officials in

a recent news article where they were quoted as

saying:

“Additional state and federal incentives are likely to be available to projects down the road that redevelop First Ward brownfields…[such as the] continuation through Lackawanna of a waterfront bike path that runs along Fuhrmann Boulevard in Buffalo and ends abruptly near the Buffalo-

Lackawanna border.” 22

BOA funding provides a municipality with

up to 90 percent of a project’s total cost. Eligible

activities can include “community outreach and

public participation, market studies, environmental

impact studies, marketing, development of design

standards, and various other actions that will result

in the redevelopment of the targeted brownfield

area.” 23 The three areas where the Bethlehem

Steel Administration site stands to benefit the most

would be marketing, facilitation of public private

partnerships, and community outreach. While

marketing assistance includes the production of



physical material such as brochures and renderings,

also included in the category are requests for

proposals. Thus, not only would design material

become available to show the potential for reusing

the structure and redeveloping the grounds, but

also the capacity to launch

a national and perhaps

even international call

for redevelopment

proposals. Community

engagement throughout

the entire process will be

a critical component of

the RFP. Issues, concerns,

suggestions and hopes

for the site should be fully

flushed out through public

meetings, design charrettes,

and opening the site up to the

public. The RFP should then

stipulate conditions set by the

community as well as those

set out by various pre-existing

plans.

The second area

mentioned within the

BOA programming is the

establishment of public

private partnerships. Critical

to the success of this project,

is the identification of

and collaboration among

stakeholders who will be able to approach

redevelopment through a multifocal lens of

education, business, and community. This will

ensure that even as the site is targeted for potential

tax generating activities, details within the built

environment pay homage to the site’s industrial

past, such as the example given in Figure 18.

Finally, with respect to the re-use of this

building, one of the most difficult obstacles to

overcome has nothing to do with funding or

perceived environmental contamination, but rather

what the building embodied for a generation of

residents. While it served as the Administration

Building, it symbolized capitalist greed and

oppression to a majority of blue collar workers in

the city. The white collar people as well as corporate

leaders who worked in the building often times did

20ft 20ft10ft 20ft8ft

NATU

RAL

REGE

NERA

TION

ARE

A

ON-S

TREE

T PA

RKIN

G

10ft

FUHR

MAN

N BO

ULEV

ARD

ON-S

TREE

T PA

RKIN

G

TREE

LAW

N

PEDE

STRI

AN/B

IKE

PATH

Figure 17 - A cross-section of Fuhrmann Boulevard in front of the Administration Building. Multi-modal transportation is stressed while on street parking is utilized as a way to maximize greenspace for the park. (Author)

Figure 18 - Union Ship Canal Park includes features such as original railroad ties to highlight the site’s industrial heritage. (Author)



not live in Lackawanna. 24 Through the funding

available through Lackawanna’s BOA, community

organizing will become extremely important

in developing the groundswell of grassroots

support this building so desperately needs. In

this regard, it becomes increasingly important to

engage a younger generation of residents who

know Bethlehem Steel only as it exists today as

an industrial relic rather than one of the largest

employers in the region. It is ultimately these

people who can look past the decay and see the

opportunities in preserving and reusing buildings

like this one.

While every BOA funding application

is looked at objectively, there are funding

preferences for those sites that “stimulate

economic development, community revitalization

or to site new public amenities.“ 25 A redeveloped

Administration Building and grounds would

seamlessly integrate all three of these core goals by

opening up the waterfront, improving multimodal

accessibility, and rebranding the face of a future

business and light industrial park as evident in

Figure 19.

VII. IMPLEMENTATIONLackawanna officials currently working on

the First Ward BOA should identify and convene

a group of stakeholders to focus specifically on

the Bethlehem Steel Administration Building and

surrounding grounds. Included in this group of

stakeholders should be:

• Preservation Buffalo Niagara – Can help

in the development of an adaptive reuse study of

the historic portion of the Administration Building.

PBN can also help actively seek out available public

and private funding sources.

NYS SHORELINE TRAILFU

HRMA

NN BO

ULEVA

RD

NYS ROUTE 5

NYS S

HORE

LINE T

RAIL

BOARDWALK

PASSIVE GREENSPACE & SCULPTURE PARK

UNION SHIP CANAL

ADMINISTRATION BUILDINGON

-STRE

ET PA

RKING

Figure 19 - A concept visualization looking south towards the Administration Building. This shows the relationship between the different components of the site including: the building, its passive greenspace, interpretive sculpture park (center), multi-use trail, the water, and Fuhrmann Boulevard. (Author)



• University at Buffalo – Listing the building

on the NR as well as coming up with different

designs and uses for the building and its grounds

could become an urban design and historic

preservation studio with UB’s School of Architecture

and Planning. UB has also just announced a Master’s

in Historic Preservation.

• Buffalo State College – Engaging students

and faculty in preserving and restoring the façade

of the administration building, including the

elaborate copper work and masonry cartouches as

part of the school’s Art Conservation program.

• Buffalo Crushed Stone – As the current

owner of the building and site, BCS should be

briefed on any proposals for the site to determine

whether or not it is in their best interest to retain

ownership.

• Lackawanna Steel Plant Museum – Provide

guidance in creating plans and/or designs that

accurately tell the story of Lackawanna, Bethlehem

Steel, and the interplay between the two. Permanent

space for the museum should be a component of a

redeveloped Administration Building.

Prior to securing the building and preparing

the grounds, a local architecture and engineering

firm should be enlisted to perform a structural

analysis of the building as well as develop a best

course of action and staged development plan.

The cost for these reports should be written into

the Lackawanna BOA. Clinton Brown Architects

had previously consulted on the site when it was

offered to the Lackawanna Steel Plant Museum for

their permanent home over a decade ago.

A community awareness and public

outreach campaign should be initiated by the

group of stakeholders identified above. In order

to break the inertia of inaction and build support

for the preservation of the Administration Building

using public funds if necessary, the perceptions

and attitudes of local residents must be positively

affected. This campaign could include public

meetings, an interactive website, informational

pamphlets, brochures, door hangers, etc. Buffalo

Crushed Stone should work in tandem with the

Lackawanna Steel Plant Museum to offer exterior

tours of the Building and grounds. Tours could

provide a small stream of revenue to offset some

of the costs not engendered in the BOA program.

Engaging the region’s younger population in the

preservation and reuse of the building could be

accomplished through interactive tours, where

children would be able to see the building up close

and then visualize their ideas for its reuse without

the encumbrance of knowing Bethlehem Steel’s

legacy.

Utilizing available funding for the Shoreline

Trail through the State DOT, Lackawanna should

install appropriate signage, interpretive displays,

and historical markers as seen in Figure 20 along

Fuhrmann Boulevard and in front of the Bethlehem

Steel Administration Building. These will help

emphasize the historical significance of a site as

well as its interface with the economic and cultural

conditions of the city as a whole.

Figure 20 - Interpretive signage located along Union Ship Canal helps link the present and future of the site with its industrial past. Similar signage should be installed along Fuhrmann Boulevard and within the waterfront park. (Author)



SHORT TERM OBJECTIVES (0-12 MONTHS)

INTERMEDIATE OBJECTIVES (2-5 YEARS)

LONG TERM OBJECTIVES (5-10 YEARS)

• Begin tours of property

• Launch public awareness campaign

• Develop stakeholder group

• Nominate the Administration Building for the National Register

• Install interpretive signage

• Properly secure property

• Streetscape improvements

• Stabilization of property

• Develop master plan for the redevelopment of the Administration Building and

grounds based on community input

• Release RFP for redevelopment

• Fuhrmann Boulevard Reconstruction

• Complete redevelopment of building

• New waterfront park open to public

• Lackawanna Steel Plant Museum finds permanent home

VIII. ACTION PLAN TIMELINE



IX. CONCLUSIONThe deindustrialization of North American

and European cities stands as a testament to a radical

shift in the economic paradigm of the 20th century.

As technology and transportation hastened the

advent of globalization, sites like the Bethlehem

Steel Plant became symbols of stagnation and

obsolescence, as well as the ghettoization and

abandonment of their surrounding inner-city

neighborhoods. Yet, by capitalizing on those

vestiges of a by-gone era, Lackawanna has the

opportunity to not only highlight its importance in

the development of the region, but also reinvent its

waterfront and decaying Administration Building

into a locus for recreation, commercial, and cultural

amenities. By capitalizing on the associative value

of this site, Lackawanna stands to create a unique

sense of place that significantly added to the

city’s material culture, when municipalities are

becoming increasingly places of homogeneity.



ENDNOTES1 Bliek, Desmond, and Pierre Gauthier. “Mobilising Urban Heritage to Counter the Commodification of Brownfield Landscapes: Lessons from Montréal’s Lachine Canal.” Canadian Journal of Urban Research 16.1 (2007): 39-58.2 Leary, Thomas E. and Elizabeth Sholes, Elizabeth C. 1987. From Fire to Rust. Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society.3 “The Legacy of Bethlehem Steel” The Buffalo News. June 7, 1983.4 Leary, Thomas E. and Elizabeth Sholes

5 Malyak, Michael. “Origins of the Bethlehem Steel Administration Building.” E-mail interview. 17 Mar. 2012.6 “The Legacy of Bethlehem Steel” The Buffalo News.7 “The Legacy of Bethlehem Steel” The Buffalo News.8 “City Council Meeting Minutes June 19 2006.” City of Lackawanna. 19 June 2006. <http://www.ci.lackawanna. ny.us/minutes/061906.htm>.9 Lenihan, Emily. “Fight to Save Buildings in Steel Town.” WIVB TV. 21 Apr. 2009. <http://www.wivb.com/dpp/

news/Fight_to_save_buildings_in_steel_town_20090420>.10 “About The Port” Port of Buffalo. Gateway Trade Center. <http://www.portofbuffalo.com>.11 URS Corporation, and American Consulting Professional. City of Lackawanna Comprehensive Plan Addendum for the Bethlehem Redevelopment Area. Lackawanna Community Development Corporation. September 2008.12 URS Corporation, and American Consulting Professional. City of Lackawanna Comprehensive Plan Addendum for the Bethlehem Redevelopment Area.13 TurnKey Environment Restoration LLC, and Benchmark Environment Engineering & Science PLLC. Interim Reme dial Measures (IRM) Work Plan Railroad Realignment Phase I-III Business Park Areas Lackawanna, New York. Rep. Tecumseh Redevelopment Inc. 2009.14 Urban Design Project. The Buffalo Corridor Management Project. Vol. 2. Buffalo Waterfront Corridor Initiative. Buffalo, 2003.15 “Public Health Service Hospital.” National Park Service Department of the Interior. <http://www.nps.gov/prsf/ planyourvisit/public-health-service-hospital.htm>.16 Project Update for the Public Health Service Hospital. Rep. Presidio of San Francisco, Feb. 2004. <http://library. presidio.gov/archive/documents/PHSHUpdateaccess1.pdf>17 Gordon, Rachel. “S.F. Presidio Hospital Heads toward History.” San Francisco Chronicle 5 Dec. 2008.18 Lifton, Zachary. “Plans for Manayunk’s Gleaming Beaux Arts Library Moving Ahead.” Hidden City Philadelphia. 26 Mar. 2012. <http://hiddencityphila.org/2012/03/plans-for-manayunks-gleaming-beaux-arts-library-moving- ahead/>.19 Lifton, Zachary. “Plans for Manayunk’s Gleaming Beaux Arts Library Moving Ahead.”20 “National Register Criteria for Evaluation.” National Register Bulletin. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. <http://www.nps.gov/nr/publications/bulletins/nrb15/nrb15_2.htm>.21 City of Lackawanna Local Waterfront Revitalization Program. Rep. U.S Department of Commerce and New York State Coastal Management Program, 19 June 1989.22. Tokasz, Jay. “City to Test First Ward Properties.” The Buffalo News. 4 Apr. 2012. <http://www.buffalonews.com/ city/communities/lackawanna/article795141.ece>.23 “BOA Program Summary.” NYS Department of State, Office of Communities & Waterfronts. New York State, 2012. <http://www.dos.ny.gov/communitieswaterfronts/brownFieldOpp/boasummary.html>.

24 Tielman, Tim. “Bethlehem Steel Administration Building.” E-mail interview. 22 Apr. 2012.25 “BOA Program Summary.” NYS Department of State, Office of Communities & Waterfronts.

Documents

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