City officials in Rochester, New York, are hoping that they can find a new use for a vacant 13-story building that has been mostly unoccupied since 1994. The hulking tower, formerly known as the Metro Center Building, and was given to the city during tax foreclosure proceedings in 1998. The building, located at 88 Elm Street, is filled with asbestos. Before the building can be demolished or redeveloped, the asbestos will need to be removed, a process that is expected to begin sometime this summer.

Asbestos removal is critical, as the airborne asbestos fibers could pose a health risk to workers, residents, and neighboring buildings. Airborne fibers can become permanently lodged in the lungs if inhaled. Asbestos is linked to pleural mesothelioma, among other types of cancer.

In recent years, survival rates for asbestos cancer patients have increased due to advances in treatment. Oncologists like Dr. David Sugarbaker continue to study this particular cancer with the goal of eventually developing a cure. For now, mesothelioma patients continue to benefit from certain treatment methods, including the combination of Alimta® and Cisplatin®.

“This property [88 Elm Street] has been essentially dead in the marketplace for quite a while,” said Heidi Zimmer-Meyer, president of Rochester Downtown Development Corp. “What’s changed, and what will change its potential fortunes, is the reconfiguration of the Midtown block. Every single building now gains a different kind of value. And 88 Elm St. is one of those.”

Rochester city officials plan to award the asbestos contract this summer. The structure was built in 1920, and is considered to be in good condition. “It’s structurally sound,” said Bret Garwood, the city’s director of project development. “The big issue with the building is the presence of asbestos. It’s not going to be a small abatement project … but it is in a condition that it makes sense to rehabilitate it, rather than demolish it.” Once asbestos abatement is complete, the city plans to take redevelopment proposals starting in the winter.

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