The General Services Administration has transferred ownership of the vacant Michael J. Dillon Federal Courthouse to the City of Buffalo in New York through a deed-signing ceremony.GSA said Tuesday Buffalo will transform the nine-story building into a police and fire headquarters.
“The Dillon Courthouse sits along Niagara Square and was in need of a reuse plan that took into consideration the unique history of this city center and fits the future needs of the community,” said Rep. Brian Higgins (D-New York).
Higgins added Buffalo’s future public safety center will support partnerships with nearby city, state, federal and county resources.
Common Council President Darius Pridgen said the consolidation of police and fire headquarters will help address maintenance and overhead costs.
Buffalo’s Department of Public Works will seek proposals for courthouse renovations and upgrades that will occur from Spring 2017 through Sept. 1, 2017, GSA noted.
The Dillon courthouse has been vacant since November 2011, when the Robert H. Jackson Courthouse opened at Niagara Square.
Buffalo sent an application to the Justice Department in April 2016 to gain ownership of the courthouse under the direction of Mayor Byron Brown.
