cleanup · Erie County
Buffalo China
Buffalo
Historic ceramics-manufacturing property on Hayes Place. Cleanup addressed industrial soil and groundwater impacts; off-site groundwater and soil-vapor controls, including a neighboring residence's sub-slab system, remain part of the management record.
The documented story
What happened here?
Buffalo Pottery was established in 1901 as part of the Larkin Company's vertically integrated manufacturing world. The Hayes Street factory produced decorated commercial and household ceramics, later operating under the Buffalo China name and becoming a familiar regional employer and brand.
Ceramic production involved kilns, glazing, decorating, fuels, solvents, metals, and extensive factory infrastructure. When the historic operation ended and the property entered redevelopment, investigation found that the environmental story extended beyond the plant boundary through groundwater and soil vapor.
Chronology in context
Turning points in the public record
1901
Buffalo Pottery began production as an associated Larkin enterprise on the East Side industrial property.
Twentieth century
The plant produced institutional, commercial, and household ceramics and later became widely known as Buffalo China.
Factory closure and transition
The end of historic ceramics production led to property investigation, demolition or reuse planning, and entry into the Brownfield Cleanup Program.
Remedial construction
Cleanup addressed contaminated soil and groundwater and established vapor controls where necessary.
Present
Groundwater, soil-vapor, and engineering-control monitoring continue, including an off-site sub-slab system at a neighboring residence.
News record
Major news events
Coverage selected here marks a turning point in public awareness, policy, enforcement, employment, or cleanup. Links open at the original publisher or archive; WNYAtlas does not reproduce restricted articles or images.
Off-site vapor results require mitigation at a neighboring residence
The investigation identified chlorinated compounds in off-site groundwater and indoor-air-related sampling at one location, leading to a sub-slab depressurization system; this was a specific mitigated pathway, not evidence about every nearby home.
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation ↗New businesses return to the former ceramics complex
Regional reporting documented reuse of the 285,000-square-foot plant after its abrupt 2003 closure, while environmental monitoring and off-site vapor controls continued under the brownfield remedy.
Spectrum News 1 ↗Environmental record
Documented impacts
- Industrial operations affected soil and groundwater beneath portions of the former factory.
- Soil-vapor migration required evaluation beyond the principal property boundary.
- A neighboring residence received a sub-slab depressurization system as part of the continuing protective measures.
Response
Cleanup and controls
- Contaminated material was removed or managed beneath approved covers during redevelopment.
- Groundwater and soil-vapor monitoring track residual impacts and potential migration.
- Sub-slab depressurization, institutional controls, environmental easements, and periodic review remain part of the remedy.
Then and now
The site today
The site illustrates both Buffalo's manufacturing ingenuity and the long environmental afterlife of an industrial plant. Redevelopment coexists with continuing off-site monitoring and vapor controls.