Dangerous Downtown Binghamton Buildings Await Demolition

A plan to tear down several derelict buildings on a downtown Binghamton street has yet to be approved by city council.

The properties were acquired by the city as the result of a legal settlement with landlord Isaac Anzaroot of Brooklyn.

Three of the four old apartment houses are located on the south end of Fayette Street, near Susquehanna Street.

The city has been awarded about $126,000 in state funding to cover half of the demolition cost.

In an email to WNBF News, Mayor Jared Kraham noted council members have not voted to accept the funding to help pay for the removal of the blighted properties.

The mayor outlined the plan for the demolition work to lawmakers on March 10.

Kraham wrote: "We have been working through squatters and the eviction process." He added that without the formal acceptance of the state grant, the city can't start environmental testing needed to clear the way for the demolition project.

One of the houses slated to be torn down is at 42 Fayette Street. Some council members have balked at the plan to demolish that structure, contending the building could be rehabilitated.

The mayor has said the building is unsafe and must be torn down.

That house is the only Fayette Street building targeted for demolition that is still occupied. The other properties to be torn down are at 2, 3 and 4 1/2 Fayette Street.

There are several other buildings on the street that are boarded up or appear to be vacant that are not currently slated for removal.

Police have been busy in recent months trying to keep people from trespassing in the abandoned buildings.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: The grim reality of Fayette Street in Binghamton on May 7, 2025.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.