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This report looks at the opportunity Rust Belt cities have to leverage existing built resources from their industrial past through opportunities for adaptive reuse and heritage tourism.
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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to truly transform outdated perceptions of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.
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
01
02
08
03
I. INTRODUCTION
II. HISTORICAL CONTEXT
III. EXISTING CONDITIONS
IV. CASE STUDIES
V. ANALYSIS
VI. RECOMMENDATTIONS
VII. IMPLEMENTATION
10
12
14
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
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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
01
01
03
03
04
04
04
05
05
06
07
08
08
09
11
10
13
13FIGURE 19 - 3D Visualization 14FIGURE 20 - Site Signage 15
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 1
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 3
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY4
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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/)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 5
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY6
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 7
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY8
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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/)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 9
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY10
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 11
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY12
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 13
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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
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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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY14
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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
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NYS ROUTE 5
NYS S
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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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 15
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
• 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)
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY16
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY 17
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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.
HERITAGE TOURISM: ADAPTIVE REUSE IN A POST-INDUSTRIAL CITY18
DARREN COTTON // PD 697 FINAL PROJECT
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.