Albright-Knox Art Gallery

The Albright-Knox Art Gallery first opened in 1905, through funds donated to the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy by John J. Albright. The Albright-Knox Art Gallery is the fourth-oldest art museum in the United States. Located on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo, New York, the Albright-Knox was known as the Albright Art Gallery until 1962, when Seymour Knox, Jr. donated a new addition to the building. In 1971, the Albright-Knox Art Gallery was added to the National Register of Historical Places. The Albright-Knox maintains collections of art in numerous styles, dating from the late Nineteenth Century up to the present day.

Up until the late 1970s, asbestos was incorporated into materials used during the construction of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Workers installed asbestos-containing fireproof insulation, pipe covering, insulating cement and block insulation. Exposure to asbestos-containing materials can cause mesothelioma or lung cancer, years after an initial exposure to airborne asbestos fibers.

Many trades, such as plasterers, insulators, carpenters, electricians and pipefitters assisted in the construction and renovation projects at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Structural steel was covered in asbestos-containing fireproof insulation. Asbestos pipe covering and insulating cement covered pipes throughout the Albright-Knox. Ducts and boilers were covered in asbestos-containing block insulation. Tradesmen who removed, applied or worked in the vicinity of these asbestos-containing materials may have been exposed to asbestos dust. Inhaling dust and fibers from the application of asbestos-containing materials placed workers at risk for developing mesothelioma or lung cancer. Even those who were not in direct contact with asbestos materials remain at risk for the development of asbestos-related diseases.

Many union and non-union laborers who worked on construction projects at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery were employed by various contractors throughout Western New York. If you or a loved one were once employed in connection with the construction of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery and have been diagnosed with mesothelioma or lung cancer, we urge you to contact us regarding your legal rights.