A few weeks ago, I was driving to a meeting via the I-190 north - taking the "scenic route" as I call it because it gives me a chance to drive around the city of Buffalo. As I was passing what I THOUGHT was the old Gas Works - which just happened to be one of Buffalo's oldest structures - I saw what I thought was light coming from inside the windows of the building. Trouble is, it was light I saw... daylight... coming from the fact that the entire building had been demolished except for the ornate stone front.

Now given the fact that I was doing 60 mph and couldn't exactly stop to get out and look at this in total disbelief, I got off the I-190 and proceeded to navigate Buffalo's streets to the front of this once magnificent structure. It was indeed gone. Once again, the idiots of this city - or whoever was responsible for this travesty - had demolished a significant part of the city's past. Just like the Larkin Building, all they left was a brick wall.

I get it! This is what these morons are doing! They are going to demolish every one of our historical landmarks EXCEPT for a wall, pillar, or some other insignificant speck. That way, they can move them all to a central location and show our "preserved" landmarks to everyone and convey that these idiots are all for preservation. What a brilliant idea! That way we can have the front wall of the Gas Works, the pillar of the Larkin Building, the clock from the Central Terminal, perhaps the front door of the old Cloister, and maybe even a few bricks from the Commercial Slip. How about a piece of the torched brick from the Oldman Boiler Works? What a novel idea! We can call it "The Buffalo's Lost Landmarks Dog and Pony Show."

Do the terms "Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places" and "Landmark" mean anything? In other words, it was PROTECTED! Can't be torn down!

BAH! Enjoy the photograph of the Gas Works during the mid 1920's. Unlike the buildings, photographs last longer. This city should be ashamed of itself.

Photograph courtesy of the Martin Biniacz archives.