Glenny Drive Apartments
| Glenny Drive Apartments | |
|---|---|
 2012 photograph | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Location | Buffalo, New York United States |
| Coordinates | 42°55′33.54″N 78°50′12.85″W / 42.9259833°N 78.8369028°W |
| Status | mostly demolished |
| Construction | |
| Constructed | 1958 |
| Demolished | 2009 – present |
| Other information | |
| 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.
History
The complex was finished in 1958, 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.
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).[1] A relocation plan was approved and the remaining residents were relocated. The housing project was abandoned in 1980 and remained vacant for nearly three decades, deteriorating significantly in the process. Demolition of the complex officially began in 2009 but was quickly stopped after concerns about asbestos removal in the buildings.[2] Demolition resumed in 2012. The final buildings are scheduled to be destroyed with a projected cost of 8.3 million dollars. One building is still standing as of Jan 31, 2016.
See also
- Cabrini–Green, Chicago, Illinois
- Pruitt–Igoe, St. Louis, Missouri
- List of public housing developments in the United States
References
- ^ "BMHA Resumes Demolition of Kensington Heights". WGRZ. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2013.
- ^ Jolly, Kevin (10 July 2011). "Demolition to continue at Kensington Heights". YNN. Retrieved 22 July 2013.