Is Buffalo Mill Being Demolished?!

[digital_sandlapper]

I drove over to Buffalo when travelling through Union this past weekend to admire the old mill there that I had not seen in years. Imagine my shock and dismay when I saw a crane/bulldozer within the old mill! It wasn't moving since it was Sunday, but had been tearing down the side wall because there was rubble outside of it. Thankfully, the beautiful towers and front facade of the huge edifice were still there. You can see the towers from far away as you approach the village.

Surely this historic site isn't getting torn down! Does anyone know what is going on?

[sonofaque86]

is buffalo a town?

[digital_sandlapper]

is buffalo a town?

[Captain Worley]

I think that was one of the mills where a company came in and removed the flooring to be refinsihed and sold.

[digital_sandlapper]

I think that was one of the mills where a company came in and removed the flooring to be refinsihed and sold.

[GvilleSC]

I hope they save the bricks!!! Projects with reused bricks in Greenville look great!

[Istvan]

I hope they save the bricks!!! Projects with reused bricks in Greenville look great!

[digital_sandlapper]

they look great anywhere. one of my friends was telling me about the mill in Cowpens that burned down, and the trial over its emminent domain price...the city offered the owner something ridiculously low ($3000 i think?) when a brick salvaging expert said the bricks would go for 8-12 cents each...and there were probably 300,000-750,000 bricks. the jury found a price more favorable for the owner ($250,000 if i remember correctly.)

it's sad if it's being torn down...maybe only parts are being demolished? there was heavy equipment at the Olympia and Granby mills for a while knocking parts of the two mills down, which i assume were salvaged from the big pile of scrap metal behind Granby.

[Spartan]

You might try contacting someone at the Union Daily Times or the Town of Buffalo to find out exactly what is going on.

[digital_sandlapper]

Bad news folks, from a representative from the S.C. Dept. of Archives & History:

"I regret to inform you that the building is being torn down. From what I understand, they are selling off the brick for reconstruction efforts in hurricane-ravaged portions of the Gulf Coast.

The National Register does not provide any protection against privately-funded projects. The owner of the building is free to do what they want with their property. If there were government/public funds behind this project, then we would have some review authority. The historic preservation non-profits (Palmetto Trust, etc.) have already taken a shot at stopping this---to no avail.

Wish I could give you better news."

Can you believe it? Sickening news. The idiots that own the building obviously care NOTHING about our state and its history and are betraying the trust of the good people of Buffalo and Union County with this travesty. This is a loss of massive proportions, literally, for all of us who give a damn about historic preservation, history, and community-buillding.

My condolences to the town of Buffalo, whose identity--this distinguished and beautiful old building-- is being unceremoniously smashed to bits.

[krazeeboi]

I wish there were some pictures of this place.

[Spartan]

I'm certain that there are somewhere. This mill is/was VERY prominantly located on the main road through town. A beautiful structure to be sure.

SC needs to pass a mill protection law and offer some fort of financial/tax incentive to save them for re-use. We are going to regret tearing all of them down.

[krazeeboi]

It seems as though we're doing well in the larger urban areas, but in these small towns is where we're losing out.

[Captain Worley]

I hate to see them go, but what can they do with the ones in small towns?

After the mill closes, the workers move away, so there isn't much point in turning them into condos. Vacant mills, with their thick, oil saturated floors pose a pretty serious fire hazard as well. A few have burned with spectacular results.

At least they are reusing the brick and the flooring. Probably the hardware will be recycled too.

[digital_sandlapper]

I hate to see them go, but what can they do with the ones in small towns?

After the mill closes, the workers move away, so there isn't much point in turning them into condos. Vacant mills, with their thick, oil saturated floors pose a pretty serious fire hazard as well. A few have burned with spectacular results.

At least they are reusing the brick and the flooring. Probably the hardware will be recycled too.