Buffalo Rising Online

Too bad. It would have been a good addition to the street. This building is underutilized and needs an infusion like this.

The building may be underutilized and in need of an infusion, but that design is awful. Those steel angles coming up from the main facade and back to the new box look like legs. The whole effect is of a large bug that's landed on the Calument building.

yah, i normally don't comment on design b/c I'm a huge proponent of any investment, preservation, re-use or growth in the downtown core, but that architectural design is bad.

I hope someone else can attempt to put the entire property to use, with residential in the upstairs floors, but I hope they spend a little more time & effort in finding the appropriate design that compliments the original facade.

those 'steel angles' look like a sun trellis (see second picture). If that's all it was, it could have been easily modified or removed I'm sure.

Would have been a cool addition to Chippewa. Maybe next time.

I think the trellis would have been a great addition to the roof.

not in this lifetime my friends, not this one

It would be nice to see Goldman or someone else carry this project forward. Chippewa needs to diversify beyond its 3 night a week bar scene. Adding a residential component may have helped to lure some badly needed retail and in turn served as a gateway between downtown and the West Village.

I like this design incorporating contemporary design while respecting the historical element. This building was originally built and presumably designed as a three story building. Building vertically or with the same architectural elements can create a monstrosity by throwing it out of scale and appearance just as easily as incorporating poor modern design. Also, as Steel points out, half-assed attempts to match the facade would be way worse IMO. While I was in Boston, there was a lot of criticism of new buildings reliance on brick exteriors to blend in with older structures under the auspices of respecting the other buildings' historic character. Bold newly designed buildings are needed in Buffalo to accentuate our beautiful existing architectural stock not reproductions trying to blend in.

Good riddance. Even if an addition were necessary, it obviously occurred to no one to clad it in tera cotta made right here at Boston Valley Terra Cotta. If that design "respects the historical element," I'm the Queen of England.

The existing building is very unique. Any attempt to face out a upward addition (trying to emulate the existing building) would be difficult at best, and more than likely a huge failure. The illustrations above actually show a good way of trying to do it. The addition uses illusions of perspective to trick the eye into thinking the addition is another building behind the existing one. With a building like this, unless you can reproduce the exact look / feel of the building, you are better off trying to go as far away as possible from the origional design. And while at it, minimize the effect of the addition (as shown above). The exact opposite of this theory can be seen with the construction of the Blue Cross / Blue Shield HQ.

Side note: I think the Ellicott Square building was designed and built to have another 10 stories built on top of it....

Too bad, this would have not only looked cool, but been a great addition to the strip. More fun, play, work mix in this section.

Typical Buffalo Rising comments. Everyone still wants cute little victorian ornament or Frank Lloyd Wright crap on every building. For a community that wants to attact the youthful creative class, these comments make Buffalo seem like more of a cultural backwater.

51 unit loft project in NT? That's just plain strange....in good way.

Cultural Backwater,

You obviously don't read much BRO. Your comment could not be further from the truth.

at first i hated it too, but then it kind of reminded me of gordon bushaft's addition to the (what is now) albright-knox art gallery. the black box international style design was meant to not take away from the design of the original building.

i wish you could edit posts. that would be gordon bunshaft. missed the n somehow

Zombo, you are right. Although, I wound't want anything else to be added; it would ruin the deisgn!!!

Shifting the discussion away from design for a moment: do folks really believe residential is a good idea smack dab in the middle of Chippewa, being such a zoo on weekends until 4 and 5 am? Are people really going to want to live in such a noisy, disruptive enivornment? I'm all for increasing residential downtown but is residential really a good use in this location? I'm interested in hearing others' thoughts.

more importantly, why did they cancel it?

yes JE. I would move from the Ellicott Lofts to chippewa and franklin in a heartbeat. the building looks cool too. The rear/side views from the apartments facing downtown would have been the selling point for me.

Was the architect aware that there is a building under this proposed design? - This look between the new and existing is virtually seamless - typical we'll "shock the senses" architecture.

That is the type of design where people will look back in 30 years and say "what the hell were these people thinkin in 2006" - kinda like the block or Delaware near the 20th Century Club.

Zombo - The Blue Cross/Blue Shield Building is not an "addition" to an existing structure. Forcing property owners to keep a useless facade exactly where it once served as a gasworks does not leave many options. The facade should have been preserved and moved.

I like it alot. The subtle black glass box does it's best not to compete with the Terra Cotta original below.

Another missed opportunity...

I think it looks pretty cool...there are a lot of neat fusions examples like this in cities like Chicago and Boston...why not? It totally reminds me of Newbury Street (Boston). Would it be better to have an architecturally beautiful building that is vacant or to incorporate styles to spark interest?

Yes, it would be great if businesses and people moved into buildings the way they are and nothing would ever change the character of the city. But sometimes that's just not realistic...you need something to create that spark...and this would have been a really cool project.

I think it's the ugliest thing I've ever seen and I bow to the architecture gods for jinxing it. Yikes. Of course, if the city is growing folks who think Frank Lloyd Wright is "crap", I imagine we'll see little cubist space bugs on top of several unique buildings in the near future.

If we need more space, why are the top floors empty now?

Smells like the beginning of the end of Chippewa. People start living above Chippewa St. People that live there grow older and beyond the 4/5am loud noises on weekends. People start complaining. Bars have to quiet down.

To: Cultural Backwater... ? We are part of the "creative class". Our views may differ, and we can't always agree (and that is ok). But I think in the end we all want to see Buffalo and WNY thrive. To: Hashma; I assume that you were talking about the Ellicott square bldg, and I agree, that building (although it could support additions) is just fine as is. To: Boz; I understand the BC/BS HQ / Gas works relationship. It was mentioned as a counter point to design consideration. I agree with you that it should have been moved and let BC/BS build w/o having to worry about it. Ya know.... that facade would have made a really cool enterance to a market at the inner harbor.

I think the design is a great merging of the old and new. Too bad it's not happening. However the Chippewa district is prime for more development both residential and otherwise. City Center's Condo's on Chippewa and Main seem to be VERY successful. Obviously the demand for more residential in the area is present. People want to live in places that are alive. The theater/Chippewa district is very much alive on multiple levels. Those who desire silence may wish to consider some purchasing in Forest Lawn.

The end of the bar phase on Chippewa will come, and it'll be be an improvement. Big clusters of "party bars" can't last for long.

Ps: I cannot remember hearing ANYTHING across the street from any popular bar in NYC; they manage to contain the "joy" within their walls.

Absolutely hideous. Will we ever tire of the absurd and ridiculous "blending the best of the old and the new" cliche? Only architects think it means anything-- ruining another great old facade for the stroking of their own egos in an era when no one wants their services because their products are so ugly and anti-social.

Imagine defining an entire downtown by the strength of its "bar district."

To: DrKay & Perry Fisher [Not to say that Buffalo's Bar / entertainment dist. is akin to aft mentioned locations] There are cities and towns in this world which are know for these very types of districts. People like their fun, and the easier it is to get, the better. People were not coming from around the world when the first casino opened in Las Vegas....but now, they are. New Orleans, Spain Riv, France Riv, Italy Riv, Paris, London, Berlin, Frankfurt AM, Baden-Baden, Miami - South Beach, Tokyo, et.al. Destination locations usually have something for everyone (or at least attempt to). Good case in point - Disney World, doing just fine at the bank, opens up Pleasure Island, nothin' but clubs. - Disney knows where the money is. The point I am making is that we as a city and / or region should want this type of entertainment district. Just as we should want a theater district, museum, galeries, and the like. We will never be a complete community if we do not at least attempt to have, maintain and tolerate a diverse offering for the entertainment dollar. Also.... the strip in question has been going full speed for over 14 years.... not bad!!!! Think of all the things that have come and gone (or just never happened) around here in the last 14 years.

Perry Fisher's comment is just silly. The design is not hideous, its just a glass box. We have seen them many many times and many non-architects pay lots of money to build them and live in them. Of course, many non-architects like to mix the old with the new. It sounds like Fisher just doesn't like architects. Thats just fine. Many people don't like doctors, lawyers or politicians either. This addition wouldn't even touch the facade. I think if that box were to illuminate and become transparent at night, it could be a very powerful social interaction with the street below. This design is not great but it is better than alot of the other attempts by designers to "blend" old and new (i.e Buffalo Chophouse, Downtown Hampton Inn, Building next door to Washignton Market, Elmwood Hotel)

Dream on.

I'll take a glass and steel box over a historical dryvit anyday.

looks stupid...nuff said

...it's apparent some Buffalonians do need to get out of town once in a while and see what the world's architects and energized cities are up to these days. This innovative design is just what the City needs. I agree with Zombo, the glass residential tower would look like another bldg---not part of the Calumet--and would not detract.

The Calumet is an underutilized commercial bldg that is in need of a higher & better use. A residential component for younger renters is not hard to market. And as Blue noted, the downtown views from the proposed addition would have been awesome (and the Chippewa side could have been triple-paned.

BTW: Some ultra-contemporary residential components are desperately needed on Franklin south of Chippewa too. Please! That stretch remains a dump.

Sorry, but this is another bullet dodged. If that bizarre glass box was parked on the Calumet, we'd end up on the Remuddling page of Old House Journal as the laughingstock of the month.

With so much vacant space downtown, why add to a building that is already partially empty, as the astute WonderingBoy observed? Personally, I detest glass boxes, but there are lots of vacant lots downtown that would be benefit from one.

Please, I'm sure most of the people who don't like this design (just like most of the people who do) have traveled outside Buffalo, read contemporary architectural journals, and are part of the creative class in Buffalo.

Architecture is subjective so let's try to explain what we like or don't like about the design instead of talking crap about the people we don't agree with.

I do not think we can be a great city if we cannot encourage and celebrate cultural changes. Urban Body is making an important point. Would this group of bloggers have rallied against the Seattle Library designed by Rem Koolhaas or the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis? The building above is, of course, no Seattle Library. Are cities like Seattle, which embraces contemporary art and architecture, more likely to adapt to economic and cultural shifts? Shouldn't we encourage this type of cultural agility or should we continue resist?

I do not think we can be a great city if we cannot encourage and celebrate cultural changes. Urban Body is making an important point. Would this group of bloggers have rallied against the Seattle Library designed by Rem Koolhaas or the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis? The building above is, of course, no Seattle Library. Are cities like Seattle, which embraces contemporary art and architecture, more likely to adapt to economic and cultural shifts? Shouldn't we encourage this type of cultural agility or should we continue resist?

L said.. "It allows cities to even rebuild and reweave their historical buildings and streetscapes while letting cities continue to grow." But L, we are not groing, in fact were contracting

looks like its not even a part of the calumet building, which is a good thing, i think its very clever design minus the trellis!

I like it. I bet the designer meant to show an optical illusion. Depending on where you stand below the addition would look like a building behind the Calumet. Then as you move away you realize that it is actually on top. I also just smoked a joint...

This practice is very common in downtown DC. They have done an amazing job at preserving nerly every historical facade. You'll notice modern mid-rises rising above, set back from the old facade.

Besides this is a rather conventional design...do you want to see polarizing and controversial architecture? try the austin city hall...I live two miles away from it, and it is the kind of building that you either love or hate...

? What does that have to do with anything? If wind turbines can be polarizing...anything can. Austin's city hall does not represent new architecture.