By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – Construction is starting on an $86 million project to build a new corporate headquarters for BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York.
The area's largest health insurer is building at an old industrial site on West Genesee Street downtown. It was once home to the Buffalo Gasworks Company. At a ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday, Governor George Pataki said he's pleased that the long dormant site has found new life.
"We past I think the finest law in America to provide tax credits and protection for companies that come in and fix up the old polluted sites and redevelop them for productive use," Pataki said. "Because of BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, this abandoned, polluted site is going to be the home of a magnificent headquarters building, bringing 1,300 more workers downtown."
Architects have incorporated the historic 1848 facade of the old Gasworks into the design of the new building. It will also include an eight-story curved glass curtain facing Lake Erie. BlueCross BlueShield President Alphonso O'Neil-White said it's a 21st century building that reflects Buffalo's past.
"The building puts a premium on natural light, the use of recyclable materials and energy conservation," O'Neil-White said. "It will be certified as an environmentally-friendly, sustainable building."
The new building is scheduled for completion in August 2007. Officials at BlueCross BlueShield say they considered more than 130 sites in the area before settling on the old Gasworks location.