Author: WCPerspective

Buffalo and development junkie currently exiled in California.

The Benjamin Franklin Hotel was the last large hotel constructed in Philadelphia before the Great Depression. Names after founding father and local resident Benjamin Franklin, the 18-story, 1,200-room opened on January 14, 1925. It was developed by Niagara Falls businessman Frank A. Dudley and designed by Horace Trumbauer. The hotel closed in 1980 and the vacant building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. In 1986, the building was converted into 412 residential units and and renamed Benjamin Franklin House and known by locals as “The Ben.” During the renovation, portions of the building including the…

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It has been a transformative year for CannonDesign in Buffalo. The global design firm, founded in the Buffalo-area more than a century ago, left its Grand Island office of 30+ years last September, moved its 190 employees into temporary space downtown, and began designing a permanent new workplace at 50 Fountain Plaza. Amidst all that, the company also named Bob Donahue its new regional Office Leader, continued to drive key dialogue through its Buffalo Urban Futures Forum, and is leading important projects across the city. Next month, company employees will begin occupancy of its new 35,000 sq.ft. permanent space in…

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Construction has started on Mount Aaron Village, a new affordable housing development on Genesee Street. The complex will have 59 units, including 18 apartments that will be dedicated specifically for people who need supportive services to live independently. Mt. Aaron Missionary Baptist Church is building the development on 19 vacant parcels located along Genesee, Adams, and Grey streets. “We have made an unprecedented commitment to address housing and homelessness across our state, including creating thousands of new affordable and supportive housing units for New Yorkers,” Governor Cuomo said. “As we progress through the phased reopening of New York’s economy, we…

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The downtown protest turned ugly late last night with a string of broken windows, damaged cars, and other damage stretching along Niagara Street, Elmwood, Grant, and throughout downtown. Douglas Jemal has owned the Statler for two days and now needs to add ‘window repair’ to the list of immediate work that is needed. One punk even tried to burn City Hall down but luckily only caused $1,000 damage to the building. There is not much to feel good about this morning but here is a little. Roger Trettel was out early to assess any damage to his downtown properties located…

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Douglas Jemal has a signed contract to purchase Statler City from the late Mark Croce’s Statler City LLC.  The two became friends soon after Jemal entered the Buffalo development scene, frequently dining at Croce’s Chop House restaurant. Mark Croce and Michael Capriotto and perished in a January helicopter crash. The sale agreement was signed on Wednesday. Mayor Byron Brown, joining Jessica Croce in making the announcement this morning in Niagara Square, called it a “very special day.” The Mayor also formalized plans to rename W. Genesee Street in front of the Statler “Croce Way.” Jemal did not offer specifics on…

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Home builder and contractor Buffalo Bungalow is following up on its project at 474 Seneca Street with a two-family residential structure not too far away on S. Division Street.  The new building will occupy a pair of vacant lots at 785-787 South Division Street (below, the vacant structure was demolished in 2015).  The site is at the northern edge of the Larkin District. Plans call for a 997 square foot two bedroom, one-bath apartment on the first floor and the owner’s residence on the second level will encompass 904 sq.ft. of living space with also two bedrooms and one bathroom. …

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Ellicott Development has added to its downtown portfolio. Ellicott’s 3279 Group LLC purchased the building housing Union Pub at 38 Swan Street yesterday from 38 Swan Street Buffalo LLC for $470,000. The property is situated across the street from Coca-Cola Field in between the Ellicott Square Building and ECC City Campus. 38 Swan is located next to the Swan Ramp that Ellicott Development is currently demolishing at 40 Swan Street. Together with a surface parking lot it owns at 285 Washington Street, Ellicott has assembled three properties with 203 feet of frontage along Swan Street encompassing half of an acre…

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The downtown area made great strides last decade where development and redevelopment work stretched from the Buffalo River corridor to the northern reaches of the Medical Campus.  Public sector investment and developers both large and small have helped change the face of downtown.  Below are ten projects that have had a big impact on the direction of downtown, not necessarily the largest or most expensive. PDF map here Genesee Gateway (2011) If there was a posterchild for neglected properties, it was the Genesee Block at the corner of Oak and Genesee streets, one of the first sights travelers see entering…

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I wrote the Decade of Progress post prior to the passing of Mark Croce. This weekend I reconsidered, but decided against, adding Statler City to the list of ten. Mark’s purchase of the property in March 2011 was a bold move. More-experienced local developers stood on the sidelines as the landmark was in receivership and threatened with demolition. Getting it back into local hands was instrumental in securing its future. That in and of itself was a ‘win.’ Croce planned a phased reuse of the building (see next post), starting with shoring up the exterior, replacing seven lower level roof…

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Looking back, 2019 was a good year for downtown area development. Residential construction is on a record-breaking pace, Douglas Jemal’s redevelopment of Seneca One received a giant boost from M&T Bank, Canalside construction is finally gaining traction, and development along the Buffalo River is heating up. Clearer Map PDF here Nine projects were completed in 2019, twenty-two are currently under construction, and seventeen were announced. With the curtain closed on 2019 and the decade, below is a recap of the development activity that occurred in the downtown area last year. RESIDENTIAL The appetite for downtown living will be tested in…

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