The same view in 2005. The re-configuration of streets in this area has been extensive to accommodate I-90 ramps. The facade of the
Gasworks building is all that remains of the National Fue Gas Company's demolition of the rest of the complex in 2000. The
demolition was controversial because the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by
John H. Selkirk, Buffalo's first architect, in 1848/1859 and used for the manufacture of illluminating gas from coal.

1942 view of West Genesee Street looking toward City Hall. The Gasworks building was occupied by
National Fuel until 1990; the building was then allowed to deteriorate. After a year-long court battle with preservationists,
the city approved emergency demolition of the complex in 2000. The 1859 facade was retained and stabilized.

The same view in 2005. The property has remained as it appears here since 2000. In December, 2004, HealthNow New York,
parent company of Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Western New York, announced that it had purchased the site for construction of
Blue Cross/Blue Shield's new $100 million-dollar headquarters. The 350,000 square-foot structure is expected to open in 2007.
(The company's current headquarters on Main Street is being sold to Canisius College for the school's planned expansion.)

Alphonso O'Neil White, Blue Cross president and CEO, plans to incorporate the historic facade into the design of the new
headquarters. "If the facade wasn't there, all you'd have is an opening parking lot and no sense of place," he said.

The completed structure.

For architectural information about the gasworks complex, look here.