Status mostly demolished Constructed 1958 | Demolished 2009 – present | |
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Location Buffalo, New York
United States Governing
Body Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority | ||
The Glenny Drive Apartments (Also known as Kensington Heights or Kensington Towers) were a Buffalo, New York, public housing project built during the expansion of public housing in the USA in the 1950s.
Contents
History
The complex was finished in 1958 on the site of a former quarry, and consisted of six seven-story brick apartment buildings, each containing approximately 67 units. The housing complex was spread across 12 acres and located next to the Kensington Expressway (New York State Route 33) and behind Erie County Medical Center. The site was built by New York State using bonds and managed & maintained by the Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority.
End of use
With reduced federal funding and increased operating and utility cost, maintenance of the buildings began to suffer and living conditions of the Glenny Drive Apartments began to decline. By the end of the 1970s, Kensington Heights had a vacancy rate of 64.7% (240 vacant units out of 371 available units). A relocation plan was approved and the remaining residents were relocated. The housing project was abandoned and put up for sale in August 1980 for $2.5 million to pay off the bonds. However, numerous purchase attempts fell through and the site remained vacant for nearly three decades, becoming significantly deteriorated and vandalized in the process. Demolition of the complex officially began in 2009 but was quickly stopped after concerns about asbestos removal in the buildings. Demolition resumed in 2012. The final buildings are scheduled to be destroyed with a projected cost of 8.3 million dollars. The Buffalo Municipal Housing Authority put the property for sale in July 2016 with one tower still standing, claiming that they lack the funding to demolish the final tower and have done all they can with the site.