Grew up in Buffalo in the 50's-60's. All the industry was still there, and if you had 15 miles visibility, it was a good day. Never thought much about it till I moved to Seattle in '78, and 50-60 miles was normal, except when it was raining!
Used to put the empties under the dining room table, to keep the dog from sleeping there. He was a 70 lb Golden Retriever, and seemed to be afraid of them.
Salt air, over time, can seriously weaken structural steel. That along with the foundation issues may have brought it down. The building inspection time periods seem to be totally inadequate given the climate and sub-soil situation.