Kissling Interests has nearly completed two large rehabilitation projects on North Street, a beautiful mansion at 249 North Street and the Ambassador apartment building at 175 North Street, both buildings are located in the Allentown Historic District. Since both buildings are contributing structures in the district, they were completed utilizing the Historic Tax Credit program.
249 North Street was originally built as a single family home, but is now converted into multiple apartments all while maintaining the general feeling and characteristics of the original layout. The building is fully rented with the exception of one apartment on the top floor. It features modern finishes and a large rear patio that is shared with the neighboring unit. The views of North Street are fantastic and the lofted bedroom space adds some unique charm with the exposed rafters above.
The Ambassador building has 115 apartments, all of which have been rehabilitated or nearing the end of construction. There are still many apartments available for rent and options include a studio (325 sq. ft.), 1 bedroom (652 sq. ft.), and a 2 bedroom (848 sq. ft.). The studio apartments range from $625 to $700, the 1 bedrooms go for $825 to $1050, and the 2 bedroom units range from $1100 to $1225 per month. Rent includes gas, heat, water, and garbage. Off-street parking is available for $50 per month, per spot.
The two rehabbed buildings will go a long way in elevating the profile of North Street and the Allentown neighborhood. Although the mansion at 249 North has been divided, the interior remains largely intact and has retained much of its original charm. One feature to note is the impressive newel post of the grand staircase, which is carved entirely from one piece of wood and intricately detailed. The greatest transformation is the Ambassador, which has been completely updated from top to bottom and is sure to attract a good clientele. Storage units are available in the basement as well as an updated laundry room with television and wireless internet.
Carmina Wood Morris did the Historic Preservation Certification Applications for 249 North and 175 North. Tommaso Briatico did design work on 249 North and L2K Design did the interior design work for 175 North.
Kissling is planning a full renovation of its brick and terra cotta mansion located next to the Ambassador at 173 North. Carmina Wood Morris will be doing the tax credit and architectural design work on that new project.
RaChaCha is a Garbage Plate™ kid making his way in a Chicken Wing world. Since 2008, he's put over a hundred articles on here, and he asked us to be sure to thank you for reading. So, thank you for reading. You may also have seen his freelance byline in Artvoice, where he writes under the name his daddy gave him [Ed: Send me a check, and I might reveal what that is]. When he's not writing, RaChaCha is an urban planner, a rehabber of houses, and a community builder. He co-founded the Buffalo Mass Mob, and would love to see you at the next one. He represents Buffalo Young Preservationists on the Trico roundtable. If you try to demolish a historic building, he might have something to say about that. He is a proud AmeriCorps alum.
Things you may not know about RaChaCha (unless you read this before): "Ra Cha Cha" is a nickname of his hometown. (Didn't you know that? Do you live under a rock?) He's a political junkie (he once worked for the president of the Monroe County Legislature), but we don't really let him write about politics on here. He helped create a major greenway in the Genesee Valley, and worked on early planning for the Canalway Trail. He hopes you enjoy biking and hiking on those because that's what he put in all that work for. He was a ringleader of the legendary "Chill the Fill" campaign to save Rochester's old downtown subway tunnel. In fact, he comes from a long line of troublemakers. An ancestor fought at Bunker Hill, and a relative led the Bear Flag Revolt in California. We advise you to remember this before messing with him in the comments. He worked on planning the Rochester ARTWalk, and thinks Buffalo should have one of those, too (write your congressman).
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