American Grain Complex, Buffalo New York

Date added: August 04, 2023 Categories:

The American Grain Complex is a group of buildings that collectively house the functions involved in the transshipment of grain: offloading, weighing, storage, analysis, processing, production into a retail product and reloading for shipment to distant markets. The complex's extant structures on the site include the Elevator Building (1905/1906, 1931), the Flower Building (1906, 1924), a moveable marine tower and track (1922), an office building (c1922), and railroad tracks coming in and out of the complex.

The complex is an intact collection of built structures that embody the tale of Buffalo's leading role in transshipment of grain from the Midwest to the East, and the handling of grain to produce malt for the brewing industry and, after prohibition, flour for the baking industry. This complex unloaded, stored, and processed grain, and then shipped the manufactured product by water, rail and vehicle throughout the United States. When constructed, the complex employed the latest engineering achievements in the processing of grain, specifically that of the grain elevator, and continued to make advancements that contributed to the field and study of engineering when the site modernized to move grain by pneumatic tubes in 1963, becoming at that time the nation's largest pneumatic mill. Furthermore, the original fixed leg stand as the oldest extant marine receiving equipment on the Buffalo waterfront. The complex is also an example of technology utilized in the evolution of the twentieth-century modern elevator, specifically as the first national example of a continuous slip form concrete pour, thus creating an architectural typology directly associated with the grain industry.

The American Elevator & Warehouse was part of the American Malting Company that was formed out of a number of small malters in 1897. The company was able to sell prepared malt to brewers more cheaply than they could buy barley. The company had four offices: one in Chicago; Milwaukee; New York City, and Buffalo.

In 1903 American Malting had one malt house and plant in Buffalo, an inland facility at Pratt and William Streets. In response to a booming market, American Malting expanded their operations by purchasing a site along the Buffalo River adjacent to the Electric Elevator to the west and what would become Perot Malting to the east.

In ca. 1905 James Stewart & Company, Chicago, Illinois was commissioned to design the new Buffalo plant for American Malting. As described on the "General Layout of Plant" drawing, the program consisted of concrete tank storage, which included the fixed marine tower adjacent to the river; a steel workhouse, and a malt house and kiln house. Due to a lack of sufficient frontage along the Buffalo River, the site required that the storage tanks be aligned perpendicular to the river, as opposed to being parallel with the dock. The result was that the workhouse had to be located at the opposite end of the marine tower. This arrangement required that the grain be unloaded by the marine arm and weighed in the marine tower, and then transferred by a longitudinal conveyor in the gallery at the bin floor to the storage bins. The grain was not re-elevated in the marine tower; rather it had to be carried on a conveyor running longitudinally under bins to the boot of the single receiver lofter located in the workhouse at the south end of the elevator. At this point, the grain would be elevated for weighing and cleaning before being transferred to the malt house. Railway tracks ran parallel to the buildings and grain could be unloaded to transverse belts at the workhouse and then elevated.

The new elevator had a 2.5 million bushel capacity and the malt house would produce nine thousand bushels of malt per day and process 3.5 million bushels of barley each year. Construction of the new plant in Buffalo resulted in the closing of operations in Cleveland and Hamilton, Ohio and Erie, Pennsylvania. The entire operations would now be concentrated in Buffalo.

The company continued to prosper despite various legal challenges and anti-trust court actions. It was not until the Volstead Act enabled the government of the United States to enforce the National Prohibition Act of 1919 that American Malting Company faced significant difficulties as the primary market for malt was immediately eradicated. At the same time the company directors faced a serious creditors' suit charging that the company's capital stock reduction was a deliberate attempt to reduce the value of the company. A New Jersey court order mandated that a new company, American Malt & Grain be formed to buy all American Malting property and liquidate funds to meet bond payment obligations for the original, now defunct company. In 1922 the trustees for American Malt and Grain sold the elevator to Harry S. Helm and Charles Thayer, two directors of Electric Steel Elevator Company, a subsidiary of the Russell-Miller Milling Company. In 1922 American Elevator & Warehouse was incorporated. Although American Elevator & Warehouse was a subsidiary of the Russell-Miller Milling Company, this information was not made public until 1923. In 1922 properties that had not been turned over to Electric Steel Elevator Company were sold to American Elevator & Warehouse. In 1923 Russell-Miller purchased the remaining American Elevator & Warehouse buildings and lands.

By the late 1920s, the Russell-Miller Milling Company owned one hundred and thirty-five country elevators and three terminal elevators, including the American. Russell & Miller Milling began in North Dakota in 1879 with the purchase of a single mill by John Russell, a banker, and his son-in-law Arthur Miller, a miller by trade. The company continued to expand until the Panic of 1893 when direction of the company was taken over and reorganized by Edward P. Wells, another North Dakota banker, and Harry S. Helm, who became the general manager. In 1897 they incorporated as Russell-Miller Milling. The North Dakota corporation received a certificate to do business in New York State and, as Electric Steel Elevator Company, purchased the American Elevator.

In the 1930s Russell-Miller produced Occident Flour, a leading retail brand. Buffalo's location on the Erie Canal, and strong railroad transportation network made it a superior milling center. Despite the fact that in 1931 the company operated thirteen flour mills, only the American served eastern markets. Russell-Miller remained a strong, stable company until 1954 when the whole company was taken over by Peavey Corporation, and in 1960 it became a division within the Peavey Corporation. The division became known as Russell-Miller-King Midas Mills, a reflection of the Peavey house brand flour that was now being sold as King Midas Four. The Russell-Miller name was removed in 1963 and the operation became known as Peavey Co. Four Mills.

Peavey Company was one of the largest grain companies in the United States. It was founded in 1874 by Frank Peavey, and incorporated in 1906. The company owned a number of country elevators and established a number of grain warehouses along the Chicago-St. Louis-Minneapolis Railroad. He also erected a large grain terminal in Minneapolis, and facilities along the Union Pacific, Northern Pacific and Great Northern rail lines. In the 1890s Peavey recognized the inefficiencies of handling grain along the west coast, and returned his attention to Minneapolis. In 1899 Peavey constructed the first concrete storage bin, which became known as "Peavey's Folly". The experiment was a great success and marked the beginning a number of technological advances that would follow in the construction of concrete bins. Peavey died in 1901 and was succeeded by the Heffelfinger family who were related by marriage. A decade after Peavey's death, mismanagement and futures speculation by the general manager Pettit had left the company with a debt of $1.2 million. The company was required to refund all indebtedness issued by Pettit through collateral-secured trust notes. By 1928 the company had recovered and entered into the milling business with the purchased the VanDusen & Harrington Co., owner of King Midas Mill. King Midas flour became Peavey's retail line. In 1963 Peavey acquired the Russell-Miller Milling Company and began to modernize the Buffalo flour mill.

Traditionally grain was moved vertically by a bucket conveyor system and horizontally by a belt conveyor system. Peavey introduced a system of pneumatic tubes to move grain in the mill and warehouse, which would increase production from 10,000 to 13,000 hundredweight. At the time the mill was the largest pneumatic mill in the nation. Peavey would retain control of the American Elevator until 1982 when it was acquired by ConAgra.

At the time ConAgra purchased Peavey it was a small, Omaha-based agribusiness, which had begun as Nebraska Consolidated Mills, a local grain handler. When the company adopted the Duncan Hines line of cake mixes it began to see some national success. Nebraska Consolidated added its own pancake mix to the line. The brand name was purchased by Proctor & Gamble in 1956, and Nebraska Consolidated returned to the production of flour and feed. The company saw little success over the next two decades, and was reorganized as ConAgra in 1976 after Mike Harper was brought in to manage the company. Harper helped turn the company around, and in 1984 ConAgra acquired Peavey, Inc. ConAgra, who also owned Lake & Rail Elevator, adjacent to the American, was a top global grain trader and flour producer. ConAgra whose diversity included the production of a range of agricultural products from fertilizer to chickens to frozen foods closed their operations at the American in June 2001 citing outdated equipment and the high cost of modernization and electricity as factors contributing to the operational costs and lack of productivity. The fact that the American Grain Complex continued as a major producer of flour through the twentieth century is significant. The opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 had a devastating effect on Buffalo as a port and center for commerce. The Seaway created a direct waterway between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean. Vessels could now by-pass Buffalo, and sail through the Welland Canal and St Lawrence River to reach ports across the world.

The Evolution of the Modern Elevator

A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a storage facility. Prior to the advent of the grain elevator, grain was usually handled in bags rather than in large quantities of loose grain. Buffalo merchant Joseph Dart and a local engineer named Robert Dunbar invented the elevator c1842-43. Using the steam-powered flour mills of Oliver Evans as their model, they invented the marine leg, which scooped loose grain out of the hulls of ships, and elevated it to the top of a marine tower where it could then be deposited in a storage bin. The elevators were originally shed-like wooden structures. Fire was a constant threat given the combustible nature of grain dust. During the 19^th century engineers experimented with a number of materials including steel and tile in an attempt to find an economical, fireproof construction material. By the beginning of the 20^th century, reinforced concrete was the fireproof material of choice for elevator construction.

The main house of the American Elevator was designed and built by James Stewart & Company in 1906. The elevator was the first in Buffalo to be constructed of reinforced concrete and is thought to be the first in the nation to be raised by slip forms using a continuous pour. This is a significant engineering and technological advancement because previously concrete was only poured into the slip during the day shift. The slip forms would be moved once a day before new concrete was poured.

Locomotive jacks placed on the floor slab within the basement raised the forms used at the main house of the American. The jacking cage and upper frame were a system of timbers inserted between the jacks and the slip forms. The jacking frame remained in the basement and the upper form rose with the forms. As the forms were raised wood posts were added between the jacking and upper frames. Eight jacks were used to lift the forms for each bin and were arranged circumferentially such that the verticals of the upper frame were spaced equally around the inside of the bin wall. The jacking cage was placed directly above the eight jacks. The upper frame post was pinned to the cage verticals, but could still slide within the cage when the pins were removed. After the jack cage and forms had been raised the cage was disconnected from the upper frame posts and cage, and the jack lowered for the next lift, typically 12". The upper frame was then rehooked to the jacking cage 12" above its previous location below, and the process continued. The forms could then be raised progressively over the next 12" lift. The inner and outer forms were connected and raised by eight steel yokes, which rested upon the eight vertical posts of the upper frame. This system allowed for the raising of the forms while the concrete was still in a plastic state and, as a result, concrete could be placed continuously and without lift breaks. The American was the world's first monolithic concrete grain bin. The bins were raised in two lifts of the 6 x 4 bin groupings. The annex was designed by H.R. Wait and built by Monarch Engineering in 1931. Unlike the main house, it is likely that the forms were raised using jacks that acted upon threaded jacking rods incorporated into the bin wall as the building progressed.

While the main house and annex are similar in their use of slip-form construction, the design of each results in different formal, spatial and functional qualities. The classic Wait design allows for fifteen interspace bins each with significant storage capacity, and sixteen outerspace bins placed between all exterior main bins. The design of the bins, and the location of the conical hopper within the bin at the annex result in a flat-ceilinged basement, with flat metal hoppers spanning the space between the bins to deliver grain to the conveyor belts. This is a significantly different spatial experience compared with the main house where conical steel plate hoppers carry the grain from the main bins above. Flat steel plate hoppers carry the grain to the belts from the interspace bins. On the exterior, the two approaches to the functional design are articulated in the spatial qualities of the elevations. The outerspace bins at the annex give the elevation a flat appearance in contrast to the deep curved forms of the main house. The formal qualities are a direct result of the functional requirements, structure and materials.

Grain Complex Description

The American Complex is located on a long, thin site at Childs Street and the Buffalo River in the City of Buffalo, Erie County, New York. The site is flat, with railroad tracks, and ghosts where tracks approached the site from the south, branching from the main line to run parallel with the buildings for loading and off-loading of goods. The American Complex consists of three buildings: the Elevator Building (1905-1931), the Flour Building (1906-1924), and an office building (c.1920), and two structures: the Moveable Marine Tower and the railroad tracks coming into and out of the complex, which constitute one overall structure. The elevator building consists of the 1906 mainhouse, the fixed marine tower, the workhouse, and the annex that was added in 1931. The flour building consists of the 1906 warehouse and the 1924 mill.

The context of the American Complex retains the qualities and density of Buffalo's transshipment history. The Lake and Rail Elevator, located to the north, and the Standard Milling Company Elevator, located directly across the Buffalo River, are still in use. Lake freighters and railroad cars continue to load and unload grain at these elevators. The Cargill-Electric Annex located to the east, Marine A located to the southeast and the Perot Elevator and Malt House located to the east are vacant. The American Complex, in-toto has historically served two major functions: malt production (1906-1919), and flour production (1922-2001). The time period, which defines the change in functional use, is rooted in American history, specifically the Volstead Act, which allowed the United State government to pass the Prohibition Act in 1919. This is important because it resulted in a change in function and, as a result, alterations to the interior space of the malt house to support the new use as a flour mill. Both programs, though unique, required similar attributes of storage capacity, grain movement, analysis and processing, and the physical environment to support the needs of the people who inhabited and worked in this space. The "American Complex" has been known as the "American Malting Company" (1906-1922), the "American Elevator and Grain Division of the Russell Miller Milling Company" (1922-1937); Russell-Miller Flour Mills (1945-1954); Russell Miller-King Midas Mills (1954-1963); the Peavey Company Flour Mills (1964-1982), and the ConAgra Corporation (1982-2001). In 2001 ConAgra abandoned the facility and in ca. 2006 it was purchased and is presently not in use. Despite the number of changes in ownership and name, the complex is locally known to many as simply The American.

There were three major periods of construction at the American Grain Complex. The first occurred for the American Malting Company in 1906, the second occurred in 1924 and the third in 1931 for the Russell-Miller Milling Company. During the 1906 construction phase the main elevator and warehouse were constructed. The elevator building consisted of concrete storage bins, a fixed marine tower, and a workhouse. The lack of frontage along the Buffalo River prevented the elevator from orienting itself parallel to the water, which is preferred for the off-loading and loading of lake freighters. The elevator was oriented essentially north-south, perpendicular to the river, with the marine tower and workhouse located at opposite ends of the facility. During this phase a malt house (referred going forward as the warehouse) and a kiln house, oriented in a similar direction, were constructed to the immediate west of the elevator. Railroad tracks aligned perpendicular to the river ran along the east and west elevations of the buildings.

In 1922 a moveable marine tower and associated quayside were constructed to the east of the existing fixed marine tower. In 1924 the kiln house was demolished and replaced with a flour mill constructed by J. W. Cowper of Boston. At this time the malt house was converted to a flour warehouse and an office for the Russell Miller Milling Company was constructed directly across Childs Street, overlooking the complex operations.

In 1931 the storage capacity of the complex was increased significantly with the addition of an annex to the south of the workhouse. This was the last major construction phase on the site. The last significant alteration to the site occurred in 1963 when a pneumatic tube system was installed at the flour warehouse - a significant technological innovation in flour and grain-moving equipment. Two buildings additions have been demolished; a locker building adjacent to the northwest corning of the flour warehouse, and the boiler house, which was attached to the northeast corner of the flour warehouse.

Each of the components of the complex serves a specific function that is manifest in its physical form. The marine tower, with its marine arm unloads grain from the hold of the freighter, and elevates it to be tested for purity and weighed before being moved horizontally along a belt conveyor in the gallery and dropped into storage bins. Because the workhouse and marine arm are located at the opposite end of the facility, the grain is then fed, via hoppers to longitudinal conveyors on the basement floor and moved to the workhouse where it is then elevated and processed. The grain can also be transferred to the flour warehouse and flour mill where it is further processed into a retail product. Raw materials and processed good can arrive at the facility or leave the facility via water, rail or vehicle. Twelve tracks move through the site: five to the west of the flour mill/warehouse; four between the flour mill/warehouse and elevator, and three to the east of the elevator, terminating at the northern extent of each building.

The Elevator Building - Mainhouse, Workhouse, Fixed Marine Tower (1905/1906) and Annex (1931)

The Elevator Building consists of four connected units. The main house, workhouse and a fixed marine tower were constructed between 1905 and 1906 and the annex was constructed in 1931, completing the building in its entirety. The tower and workhouse are both steel frame with corrugated iron siding. The main house and annex are of continuous, slip-form construction.

Fixed Marine Tower (1906)

The fixed marine tower is located at the northern end of the main house and is constructed of structural steel clad in iron panels with vertically oriented corrugations. It is structurally connected to rest of the building at its foundation and by a concrete walkway above. The foundation is poured concrete. The tower rises 125 feet and measures 29 feet by 23 feet, with the long end parallel to the river. The marine arm is centered on the north elevation facing the Buffalo River. The corrugated metal no longer sheathes this elevation revealing the structure behind. Metal windows with three-by-three lights, featuring a bottom three-light vent, provides light into the space at the north, east and west elevations. Iron-clad fire doors provide access into the tower at the east and west elevations. The south elevation of the tower is connected at grade by the basement of the concrete bins and to the gallery above the bin floor via an enclosed walkway.

Mainhouse (1905-1906)

The main house was designed and built by James Stewart & Company in 1905 and 1906. The basement works were constructed of reinforced concrete using conventional fixed-form methods. The bins were elevated above the basement floor slab using slip forms into which concrete was continuously poured, resulting in a monolithic structure. Because the forms were raised using locomotive jacks placed on the floor slab within the basement, there was no need for a bin slab. There are forty-eight cylindrical bins arranged in four parallel non-interlocking rows of twelve. The bins are placed in tangential contact, and as a result, three rows of eleven interspace bins are located between the main bins. An octagonal network of hopper beams, beneath which pillars are placed directly below the bin walling, supports the bins. Rectangular concrete sub-piers, that extend 12' to rock, are located below each pillar, and capped by a concrete floor slab to form the foundations. The bin floor is a concrete slab supported on longitudinal I-beams.

Workhouse (1905-1906)

Originally the workhouse, located to the south of the 1906 concrete storage bins, was the southern extent of the building. In 1931 the annex was constructed and the workhouse was now located between the two.

The workhouse measures 98' x 42' and rises to a height of almost 200'. The basement level of the workhouse is filled with vertical and transverse conveyor equipment. Where the annex abuts the workhouse there is a small gap where one can look vertically and see the original south facade of the workhouse. There were a number of programmatic functions in the workhouse that were organized vertically. Above the basement was the sacking floor, a lower set of sacking and receiving bins, the floor where the grain was cleaned, an upper set of cleaner bins, the bin floor, the distribution floor, the scale floor and the garner floor. At the garner floor two sets of bins consisting of three rows of seven 14' square steel bins, each to a depth of 20'-4" extended across the entire area of the workhouse. The garners controlled the flow of grain so it could be accurately weighed.

Annex (1931)

Monarch Engineering built the annex to the in-house design of H.R. Wait in 1931. Unlike the main house, the bins were raised above a conventionally constructed basement and bin slab. Six longitudinal rows of mushroom-headed columns and two outer rows of rectangular bracketed pillars carry the load from above. The columns are equally spaced such that four columns are below each internal main bin. The outer wall pillars, as articulated on the exterior elevations, locate the centerline of all exterior, main and quarter bins beneath which they are placed. Large interspace bins and outerspace bins increase the storage capacity. Concrete caissons are placed below every basement column and capped by a 6' floor slab to form the foundation.

The Elevator Building - Elevations

East Elevation

The exterior of the cylindrical bins are simple mass forms expressive of their cast concrete structure and storage function. In 1906 twelve bins were constructed along the east elevation. These bins and the structure are clearly delineated by their raised basement, and curved form. The raised basement reveals three sides of an octagon at each bay. A two-by-five light, metal window, with a vent-in pair second from the bottom is located on opposing planes at each bay. The metal frame has been formed into the concrete wall. A water table marks the transition from the raised basement to the storage bins as the cylindrical bays step back, revealing the curved bin form before soaring 100-ft vertically to the ogee-molded cornice that follows the bin line unifying the composition horizontally. There are no outerspace bays in the main house. The planar vertical strip that connects each cylindrical bay is set back in plan and, as a result, the curved form of each bay, and bin, reveals itself as a distinct geometric unit. The bin floor is covered by a single-story overall gallery. The structural steel gallery has a book tile roof and corrugated iron walls. It is set back from the roof-wall junction, and is only visible from a distance. Metal windows are located at the center of each bay at the gallery. The corrugated iron of the workhouse that was added to the north elevation of the main house in 1933 is visible above the galley. A conveyor gallery extends from the main house to the Perot Elevator at this location.

The first two stories of the workhouse, which is located between the 1906 main house and the 1931 annex, is reinforced concrete, while the upper stories are a structural steel frame faced with corrugated iron. Below the bin floor, the framework was in-filled with book tiles; above the floor it was clad in corrugated iron. The workhouse is 196'-10". Windows are only located on the upper three levels. A two-story double-track railroad loading shed is located at the workhouse.

Eleven curved bays that sit on top of a raised, concrete basement define the east elevation of 1931 annex. The walls of the raised basement are smooth, pierced by narrow elongated metal windows between the wall pillars. Two center pivot vents are located between each pier. A water table marks the transition from orthogonal to curved form. Outerspace bins are located between each wall bin and, as a result, the elevation appears somewhat flat, lacking the dramatic curved forms and shadow lines of the main house. The bins rise to 131 feet. An overall gallery covers the bin floor. The single-story structural steel gallery is faced with corrugated iron.

South Elevation

Eleven bins are located along the east elevation. A two-story metal, shed roof canopy is attached to the bins, just above the water table. Shoots for loading vehicles are located beneath the shed rood. The gallery is not set back from the bin line at this elevation.

West Elevation

The west elevation of the 1906 main house is similar in appearance to the east elevation. A two-story double-track railroad loading shed extends along the elevation.

The curved forms seen on the east elevation of the annex building have been finished smooth with cement and present a planar surface. None of the structural components are revealed. A number of platforms and shoots have been connected at the elevation to facilitate the loading and off-loading of rail boxcars.

The first two floors of the west elevation of the workhouse are brick. The brick is failing at the upper level. Above the brick the detail of the workhouse is similar to the east elevation. In addition to the railroad loading shed, a covered gallery conveyor at the bin floor level connects to the gallery of the flour mill to the west.

North Elevation

There are four outer bins along the north elevation. Aside from the two outer bins, the north elevation of the main house is obscured by the marine towers and a small steel and iron workhouse added to the north elevation in 1933.

Interiors

Fixed Marine Towner Interior

The interior of the marine tower is connected vertically by a continuous spiral stair that begins on the second floor of the northwest corner of the building. The second floor is accessed by an open stair with concrete stringers and treads. The marine tower functions primarily as a machine that removes grain from the hold of a lake freighter and elevates it vertically so it can be stored. A complex series of weights, pulleys and gears are stacked, providing the mechanics that moves the marine arm, and a vertical conveyer fitted with buckets to lift grain. As a result, there are voids within the concrete floors that vertically connect the levels visually and physically. At various levels small amounts of flour is weighed and sampled for purity. At the floors located above the bin floors, the grain is again weighed and sampled before being transferred to the storage bins. The interior of the tower is connected to the gallery at the level of the bin floor.

Main house Interior

One enters the main house at the north end through the lower level of the workhouse that was added in 1933. To the north is the entrance into the fixed marine tower, and to the south are stairs and a ramp, which lead to the basement level. The basement, which recalls an Egyptian hypostyle hall, is defined by one-hundred-and-thirty-five, free-standing 3'-7" x 4' square pillars supporting octagonal beams above. The spacing of the pillars creates a forced perspective beneath the center of the main bins, and a density of pillars beneath the interspace bins. Originally, a longitudinal conveyor ran beneath the center of the main bins, carrying grain from the bins above to the workhouse. The bin hoppers are hung from the octagonal basement hopper beams. The hoppers are fabricated of steel plates, riveted together to a conical form. The interspace hoppers are made of flat steel plates and extend across the width of the bins to deliver grain to the conveyor. Originally movement through the space necessitated bridges at various locations to cross the conveyor belts. Although many of these bridges remain, the conveyor belts, except for a small section at the southwest corner, have been removed. Caricatures of workers have been permanently etched into the face of the concrete pillars in many locations, marking the presence of workers long gone.

The volume of the bins can be seen at locations where pieces of the hoppers are missing. Openings in the bin floor at the gallery light the volume from above. These openings are the locations where grain, having been removed from the lake freighter, would have been transferred, via longitudinal conveyor belts to the bins.

The workhouse is located at the south end of the building. Ramping of the conveyors at this location took the grain into the workhouse were it would be elevated and processed. A transverse belt at this location would move the contents of boxcars from the pits across the basement of the workhouse.

The gallery of the mainhouse is accessed from the fixed marine tower. The concrete and steel frame gallery consists of three longitudinal belts that carry grain to the workhouse, and to the bins for storage. Six-light steel windows, with center pivot unit are located on the side walls providing light into the space.

Annex Interior

The raised basement of the annex is composed of six longitudinal rows of mushroom-headed columns, spaced such that four columns are located beneath every internal bin. Unlike the main house, conical hopper bottoms of mortar-faced slag concrete are placed on the bin slab and feed to conical steel draw-off spouts located within the slap. Flat, steel plate hoppers extend across the width of the bins to deliver grain to the conveyor belts. In locations where the steel plate hopper has been removed, one can view into the bin through the draw-off spout. Similar to the main house, openings in the bin floor provide the location where grain, removed from boxcars and elevated at the workhouse, could be delivered, via longitudinal conveyor belts at the gallery.

The gallery of the annex is connected to the main house through the workhouse. Longitudinal belts carried grain from the workhouse to store in the bins. The metal sheathing at the south elevation no longer exists.

Moveable Marine Tower and Track (c1922)

Exterior

The moveable marine tower is located to the east of the fixed tower. The tower sits on railcar trucks that allow it to be moved along tracks on the quayside between the fixed marine tower and the Perot Elevator. A cable and winch system is visible under the trucks. The tower is constructed of structural steel clad in iron panels with vertically oriented corrugations. The corrugated iron panels begin above the railcar trucks. The tower rises 125 feet and is of similar size as the fixed tower. The marine arm is centered on the north elevation facing the Buffalo River. Given its close proximity to the river, this elevation cannot be viewed in its entirety from within the property. A four-by-four metal window with central eight-light vent-out hopper unit marks each floor level on the north, east and west elevations, providing light into the space. An iron-clad fire door, accessed by an attached ladder, provides access into the tower at the east and west elevations. The south elevation presents an uninterrupted facade of corrugated iron. As evidenced on the 1950 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, a gallery conveyor directly south of the marine towers originally connected the moveable tower to the concrete storage bins located to the west, and the Perot concrete storage bins to the east. This conveyor has since been demolished. A covered steel frame platform with concrete deck is located to the south of the tracks underneath the location of the demolished gallery conveyor.

Interior

Stairs located at the northeast corner connects the interior of the marine tower vertically. The stairs have an open grill tread, which visually and physically connects the space vertically. The first level houses the machine that moves the tower. The upper levels house the equipment necessary for the marine arm to remove grain from the hold of a lake freighter and elevate it vertically so it can be stored. As is the case with the fixed marine tower, a complex series of weights, pulleys and gears are stacked, providing the mechanics to move the marine arm. The floors are not continuous and open visually and physically to the levels below. At the levels above the bin floor the grain is weighed and sampled before being transferred via longitudinal conveyor belts in the gallery to the concrete storage bins.

The Flour Building - Warehouse (c.1906) & Mill (c1924)

Flour Warehouse (c1906)

The flour warehouse is a steel frame building with exposed steel posts and beams, and concrete floors. The building is faced in red brick painted white in many locations. It was constructed as the malt house for the American Malting Corporation in c.1906 and converted to function as a flour warehouse for the Russell-Miller Milling Company in the early 1920s.

The Mill (c.1924)

East Elevation

The east elevation is located approximately 20' from the main house of the American Elevator. This elevation retains a high level of integrity. Within the segmental-headed windows openings are eight-over-eight double-hung wooden sash windows. In some locations, the sash behind is fixed and a sixteen-light storm maintains the window detailing. Tall, elongated windows with arched heads were located at the first floor. These have been in-filled with brick and smaller windows installed.

West Elevation

The west elevation shows detailing at the windows and fenestration similar to that of the east elevation. In many locations, the windows have been removed leaving the interior open to the elements. Other openings have been in-filled with brick. There is a ghost of a small window with a segmental headset closer to grade between the first-floor windows.

North Elevation

The north elevation shows more variety in fenestration. Some of the eight-over-eight wood sash windows remain intact, while other openings have been in-filled with brick. The detailing of the north elevation, as is the case with the other elevations, in this early twentieth-century industrial building is exhibited in the simple fenestration and detailing at the window. However, at the upper level of the center bay a large panel, framed by corbelled pilasters, spells out the name of a company. All but the last three letters "G. CO" have been covered in metal sheets. It is likely that the missing letters are "AMERICAN MALTIN". No other company's name ended with "G".

Interior

The first floor of the flour warehouse building is elevated, forming a platform for railroad tracks entering the building, at grade, through the west bay of the south elevation. The first floor is an open space defined by the structural grid of steel columns. The central bays abut, and connect to, the flour mill. The outer bay at the southeast corner opens to the terminus of a set of railroad tracks. The lower level of the pneumatic system installed in 1963 is located toward the south along the east elevation.

The upper levels of the flour warehouse are a maze of rooms that originally contained work and storage spaces, and machinery for flour production and storage. As a result, many of the rooms extend vertically through a number of stories resulting in a variety of visually and physically connected volumetric spaces. Much of this machinery has been removed. The test kitchen and lab at the third floor remain, largely untouched.

Flour Mill (c1924)

Exterior

The Russell Miller flour mill and flour warehouse are located to the west of the American Elevator. The Malt House, located adjacent to the Buffalo River, originally built in 1906, was converted into the flour warehouse and the new flour mill was constructed to the south, on the site of the Kiln House, in 1924. The eight-story reinforced concrete building measures 124' x 50' and is faced in tan brick.

East Elevation

The east elevation is eight bays wide with panel and pier detailing. Originally large windows filled the panel, where the functional programmatic plan allowed. These window openings have been in-filled with tan brick, and tiny windows installed. The tops of the piers form castellations at the parapet. The end bay to the north houses a stair well that steps out beyond the plane of the wall. A block addition is located at the south corner of the elevation. A large steel frame structure, clad in corrugated metal is located above the two-story railroad canopy. Farther north along the elevation is a cinder block addition. The steel frame enclosure and cinderblock addition are non-historic, added c.1970. A small steel frame gallery sheathed in corrugated iron is located on the roof and is not visible from the ground. A conveyor gallery, with corrugated iron siding connects to the American workhouse at this elevation. The conveyor gallery would have transported grain from the workhouse to the flour mill for further processing and refining.

South Elevation

The south elevation is three bays wide with inset panels and piers that form castellations at the parapets. Large windows that filled the panel were located at the upper level. These have been in-filled with brick and small window units installed.

At the raised first floor, the windows openings have been in-filled and small window units installed. It appears that what was a loading dock has been in-filled with tan brick at the lower level of the southeast bay.

The main body of this elevation shows no fenestration. Behind this elevation were storage bins, negating the programmatic need for windows.

West Elevation

The west elevation is similar to the east elevation except for the fourth and eighth bays, which project out beyond the plane of the wall. A stair and elevator are located at these locations. Although they have been boarded up, the first floor level is detailed with loading bays and large transom windows. Only the steel frame of the train shed at this location remains. Above the first floor large window openings at were located in the inset panel of at each floor. These have been in-filled with tan brick and small windows installed. Though deteriorated, and missing glass panes, multi-light, metal windows remain at the projecting bays. The rail tracks associated with the property remain.

North Elevation

The north elevation abuts the flour warehouse that was constructed in 1906. Only the upper floors are visible at the flour warehouse roof.

Interior

The interior program of the flour mill is expressed on the exterior elevations. Located behind the windowless south elevation, on floors 2 through 8, are steel storage tanks. The remainder of the floors contained work spaces, machinery, and conveyor belts necessary to produce flour from grain and package it for commercial and retail distribution. Unlike the flour warehouse, the volume of the spaces at each floor remains consistent, defined by structural concrete piers. The pneumatic system required that the cutting of holes in the concrete to accommodate the tubes that traversed the floor levels. Interestingly corresponding floor levels at the c1906 and c.1924 building do not match. The floor levels of the 1906 building are at a higher elevation.

The Peavey Office Building (c.1920)

The final building in the complex is the Peavey Office Building that was constructed in the early 1920s by the Russell-Miller Milling Company. The office building is a two-story steel frame building with concrete floors and a tan brick and brown glazed tile curtain wall. A period five-car garage is located to the rear.

North Elevation

The entry to the building is located at the north elevation. One enters through a centrally located door that is flanked by paired one-over-one double-hung wood sash windows with a precast sill. All of the windows are the one-over-one double-hung wood sash type. The second story retains the symmetry with paired one-over-one sash windows occupying each bay. At the second story the middle window and the window to the west of center remain, but are covered in plywood. A triple coursing of the brown glazed tile to form a band is the only detailing. The panels between the first and second-story windows are articulated with three bands of glazed tile offset with a band of tan brick of the same thickness. This banding pattern marks the corner condition, suggesting engaged piers.

The Peavey Office Building (c.1920)

North Elevation

East Elevation

The pier detailing continues at the first bay of the east elevation. The pier from the north elevation turns the corner to define the first bay. This bay projects slightly beyond the plane of the wall. A second pier marks the end of the bay, returning to the elevation, which is set back slightly. A triplet of one-over-one double hung wood sash windows is located on the second floor. Two one-over-one double-hung wooden sash windows, aligned beneath the outer units of the triplet above, are located on the first floor. The banding pattern between windows is repeated. The center bay of the elevation has paired sash windows marking the stairway, and two single sash windows locating bathrooms. A grouping of three, single one-over-one double-hung wood sash windows define the end bay. The banding pattern between windows repeats at this bay.

West Elevation

The west elevation is detailed similarly to the east elevation. The pier detailing is repeated at the south bay, however the bay is not as wide and the windows are paired one-over-one wooden sash units with the banding detail in the panel between the first and second floor. The end bay repeats the detailing seen at the east elevation.

South elevation

The south elevation is utilitarian with windows located only in the southwest bay.

Interior

The interior of the office building has a simple organization that is expressed by the exterior fenestration. Two offices flank the entrance. A stair is located at the east elevation, behind the front office. Bathrooms are located along the east elevation. A large open space is located in the remainder of the first floor. There are two offices along the north elevation of the second floor, defined on the exterior by the piers. The remainder of the space is open. A safe is located at the southeast corner of each floor.