Progress and development is gaining momentum in the Larkin District and if a trio of local developers have their way, the restoration of one of the largest buildings in the city will add to the transformation of the neighborhood. 701 Seneca will be restored and reused at the tune of $50 million. Seneca Holdings, LLC has big plans for redevelopment, according to Jim Cornell of Praxiis Business Advisors, one of the three principal investors involved with the project.
The property was purchased on October 12 for $3.1 million. Peter Krog of The Krog Corporation and Gordon Reger of Reger Holdings, Inc. are the other principal investors. The partners chose to team together because "It is the right mix of talent and resources, each of us have successfully developed complex real estate projects in the past, and Peter Krog is a gifted engineer with the ability to see solutions to problems often long before others have even framed the question" says Cornell.
701 Seneca is a leftover from the days when Larkin dominated the scene of mail order household goods. It appears to be one massive building, but in fact it's eight different buildings that have been connected into a single complex totaling around 1.3 million sq. ft.
Phase one of the 701 project includes improvements in the façade like windows, new/improved entrances, and elevator improvements. Currently there are negotiations with several large tenants to move into 701 and Jim has plans to move Praxiis' offices to the complex. One of the best qualities of 701 is proximity to the 190 and downtown as well as the large amount of parking. Currently the building has 550 people working in it with an expected increase to 3500 people in the future.
Although it will likely take until March to get SHPO approval, improvements are currently underway to show progress and investment in the building. These improvements include the construction of a new entrance, replacing damaged stucco, and illuminated signage across the new first story soffit, reminiscent of the signage from the days the Larkin Company was at its peak in the 1920's. Unfortunately this section of Seneca was not included in the streetscape improvements but work is underway to secure funds to extend the improvements.
701 will be restored to the appearance it was in the 1950s/1960s with a full stucco façade. The main reason for this is due to the associated costs of the stucco removal and the resulting damage to the bricks beneath. When the stucco is removed it leaves multiple two inch holes in the brick and would damage the brick to the point of not being restorable.
One of the best improvements that will be made will be the installation of shop windows on the ground floor, as was the historical presence on Seneca Street. The plan is to allow people to window shop, but do so outside of the weather. Areas of the main floor will be pushed into the complex to allow people to step into the building and avoid the weather if desired. The completion date of Phase I is scheduled for December 2011. Subsequent phases will extend several years after that.
Renderings by NH Architecture from Rochester, NY
Principal Architect, Norbert Hausner
This looks like a great idea, I hope we can see work on this begin soon.
My question for the urban planners out there. What is the best way to connect the various districts that we are developing in a safe and cost effective manner. For example, how do you connect the Larkin District to the Waterfront, factoring in the railroad tracks, canals, BMHA projects, and industrial sites that divide the two. We want this to be walkable and bike friendly, how do we do that in a cost effective manner.
My fear is that we create little pods of development that are competing with each other instead of maximizing the benefit to the city.
There are a couple things you do can to bind everything together. Transit is one way. An extension of the light rail to this area would put it just a stop, maybe 2, from downtown and the waterfront. If you worked downtown you could jump out here for lunch, or if you lived east you could park here and commute into downtown. Maybe parking is cheaper out here than downtown (can't really imagine how it could be any cheaper than it is now though, since it is so heavily subsidized by BCARs) It would mentally bring the two places together and almost create an extension of 'downtown' to the east.
Transit Connections
Another, cheaper way would be to work on the streetscapes between here and downtown. Add bike lanes, improve the sidewalks and lighting to make it safer and pleasant to walk back and forth. It isn't a fast walk, but it is definitely an easy walk. I have taken the train downtown and walked to the Larkin district many times. It's only 1.5 miles.
I agree that simple streetscaping could go a long way in solving some of the disconnect between the Larkin District and downtown. I also made the walk many times this summer and I think it was more a function of the barren landscape than the actual distance that made the trip seem so long... there was just nothing interesting to look at (aside from the wild coyotes).
I thought that the light rail expansion was deemed to be cost prohibitive and not feasible due to our low population in areas served.
The streetscaping sounds like a good start, but what else can we do? What do other cities do to make this work?
Totally agree. The Larkin District is kind of out on its own island because of those barriers.
If you built a pedestrian friendly road system, connecting Seneca to Louisiana to South Park, you could connect the Larkin District, the Goldman Ohio street bridge area, and the inner harbor.
Paint in the bike lanes and put trees up. A streetcar line would not be cost effective in the slightest, regardless of the route.