EYESORE! The Pink Palace needs to be razed or at least maintained.

I wrote a previous entry a while back when "The Pink Palace", the former Skidmore College dorm on Union Avenue that was officially known as Moore Hall, was sold to Norstar,  a development company out of Buffalo.  Soon after that, I noticed that the grass was not being cut and there was a noticeable difference between the admirable way that Skidmore previously maintained the property and how Norstar seemed to be neglecting it.  Because I live within sight of that building, I was concerned about the lack of maintenance so I called both the company's Buffalo office as well as Mayor Scott Johnson's office and expressed my concerns.  A few days later the grass was cut and it continued to get cut for the rest of the summer.

That's the good news.  The bad news is that it appears that they aren't doing much more than cutting the grass. I will post some pictures below which show, among other things:  graffiti, piles of (flammable) debris , weeds and small scrub trees growing not only along the side of the building but also on the roof (!), and just too many other signs of an abandoned building.  The question I have is how long before we see broken windows, rodents, homeless people, partying teenagers, and other signs of urban decay on otherwise pristine Union Avenue? 

Where is the city on this?  They should be able to see the same things that I am seeing.  Also, I think it's fair to expect Skidmore College to respect the neighborhood that hosted this residence hall for nearly 50 years and ensure they sell their unused properties to companies that will respect the city and its neighborhoods by properly maintaining their property.  I will be contacting officials about this but since I called both the company and the mayor's office once already about this building I should not have to harp on them to do the right thing.  The initial lack of grass cutting should have been a red flag to city officials that this company may have to be monitored and prodded to properly maintain their property.  I would expect this if I lived in another city perhaps but not in Saratoga Springs, NY.  Unacceptable!

 

I wrote a related blog entry here on the Times Union's Saratoga Springs residents' blog. 

Comments

[Gerald Erchak]

Skidmore sold the building (which was an eyesore from the get-go) in good faith. The developer was hit by the financial collapse just as the rest of use were!

[Drew]

You should journey over to the West Side my friend. Franklin Square is falling apart, despite a few recent minor cosmetic upgrades, and anything west of that becomes even more questionable. It certainly isn't Albany, but there is definitley a lack of pride and/or wherewithal among some home owners over on this side of 8 Mile.

[Dan]

Thank you both for commenting. Gerry if you say it was good faith then fine, but related to good faith are foresight and attention to details. Skidmore left a sign out front which to this day identifies the building as Moore Hall of Skidmore College. Does Skidmore want to be identified with that building with all the overgrown weeds, shrubs, debris, and graffiti? Also, and I'm not attacking Skidmore I'm just noting and perhaps criticizing with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, but if the building was an eyesore when Skidmore owned it, then would it be too much to ask for them to raze the building before they sold it to ensure the current situation did not happen to the city and the neighborhood? Could they have made an agreement as part of the sale that Norstar would raze the building within a year? Or perhaps at least maintain the building? Again, they aren't the problem but they could be part of the solution - they must have some sort of relationship with the company since they agreed on a significant sale together. Perhaps they can use the power of persuasion and affect change.

Drew I haven't noticed as much on the west side, but I'm not over there much. Thanks for your input.

[ljk]

I don't think you're allowed to tear down buildings in town right now. Just ask the Riggi's or the guy who owns that crack house (OK maybe not a crack house...yet) on Franklin Ave.

[Dan]

Thanks for commenting. Well there's a world of difference between a beautiful old house built in 1865 that has historical significance and has decades if not centuries of usable life left in it, vs a 1959 ugly pink former dorm building that really doesn't have any usefulness left. There are no preservationists clamoring to save the pink palace.