A former union hall will soon be Allentown’s newest residential address. Don Gilbert is converting 481 Franklin Street into 12 studio and one-bedroom apartments. The redevelopment project is Gilbert’s fifth Allentown project that includes 449-51 and 455 Franklin Street, 44 North Pearl Street, and the award-winning restoration of the Hiram Day Mansion at 441 Franklin.
481 Franklin can be described as a Brutalist take on the Larkin Administrative Building. It was built in 1964 for Labor Union 210 and in recent years was the home of M.A. Reich Wholesale Jewelers. Today, the re-christened Strathman Manor has five studios averaging 520 sq.ft. of living space and seven one bedroom units with an average of 830 sq.ft. Studios rent for $1000 and the one bedrooms $1350. Three of the first-floor units are handicapped accessible.
Studios are filled with light and bedrooms are spacious with large closets and a work-space niche.
Each unit has a washer and dryer, air conditioning, cellar storage, off-street gated parking, WiFi hook up, acacia floors, loaded kitchens, high ceilings, double doors with balcony, energy efficient furnaces, and spray foam closed cell insulation exceeding the required building code level.
Gilbert says the biggest challenges in doing the rehab were dealing with asbestos and addressing a structural shaft where steel supports and flooring needed to be added.
Gilbert took an interesting route into real estate development. He was born and raised in Buffalo and athletics consumed his early years. Gilbert was a student-athlete at Bennett High School where he won numerous awards for his participation in football, basketball and baseball. He was inducted into the Harvard Cup Hall of Fame and the Bennett Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements in high school athletics. Gilbert was also a three sport athlete at the University of Buffalo. His football experience as an Academic All-American quarterback for the University of Buffalo Bulls Division 1 football team earned him an opportunity to play football professionally for the Ottawa Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
During the off-season, Gilbert lived in Buffalo and earned an M.S. in College Student Personnel from the University of Buffalo. He coached and provided counseling to many Buffalo high school students at that time. After retiring from professional football, Gilbert was hired as an Assistant Professor at the University of Ottawa as well as the Head Coach of their football team in 1971. He coached the University of Ottawa Gee Gee’s to their first national championship, the Vanier Cup, in 1975. He has been inducted into the University of Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the University of Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame, the City of Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame.
Gilbert returned to Buffalo to raise his family after winning the Vanier Cup. He did color commentary for the Buffalo Bills and worked in sales management for WBEN, WJYE, and for Delta Sonic Car Wash. During this time, he started acquiring and rehabilitating Allentown properties in 1979 and now has five buildings with a total of 54 units.
Gilbert has a passion for his buildings, restoring them to their historical beauty. He received an award for his restoration of Hiram Day Mansion from the Buffalo Niagara Preservation Board in 2012. He currently serves on the City’s Historic Preservation Board.
“I took this opportunity [Strathman Manor] on because of the size and location of the property,” says Gilbert. “I just said to myself, ‘what an opportunity,’ the rest is up to me. I thanked M. A. Reich Jewelry for selling it to me as there were other bids considered.”
Gilbert has seen plenty of change in Allentown since the 1970s and says the medical campus has influenced the area significantly.
“There is a dramatic increase in real estate values,” he says. “Ten years ago you could have bought a block in Allentown for what some individual homes are now selling for. There are still real estate investment opportunities in Allentown for someone with a vision.”
As for Gilbert, he says he has taken a look at additional projects or in his words “opportunities.” But for now, he says his focus is on Strathman Manor.
Get Connected: Apartment Leasing Info- 716.882.7506