Things are progressing quickly in the 500 block of Main Street. With the renovation of 501 Main Street by Don Warfe, the Cornucopia building at 523 Main by Roger Trettel, where news on that project is expected shortly, and rumblings of other new developments coming soon, the block is finally seeing new life.
Adding to the string of rehabs and new businesses is the planned renovation of the three-story former Grever's Florist building (537 Main Street) on the corner of Main and West Huron streets directly across from the Hyatt hotel.
The building is under contract by Dawn Kirchmeyer and Steve McCarthy who plan on constructing a restaurant and gallery space on the first two floors of the building to be called The Canvas Bar. The third floor will be reserved for Kirchmeyer's personal residence. McCarthy has only recently moved from his home in London, UK to Buffalo to start this new venture. Clinton Brown Architecture has been retained to redesign the circa-1900 building and secure historic tax credits. The building had been listed with Chris Malachowski at Hunt Commercial Real Estate.
With a planned opening for this summer, their future restaurant will be a unique addition to downtown.
"The name symbolizes a new, fresh start for myself and my partner and represents a blank canvas for not only us, but the musicians who will come in as well," says Kirchmeyer. She is extremely excited about the project as well as moving back to the city. She had moved to Hamburg after living on the West Side, but has missed living in the city.
Dawn explains why she decided on the downtown building. "I looked at a lot of different buildings and everyone directed us to that area and after a ton of research I decided to purchase the building." she says. "There is a need for it down there."
She went on to say that she did not choose Allentown because there was already an abundance of art spaces in the area, but they were lacking in the downtown district.
With twelve years in the catering business under her belt, Dawn is confident that she can create a successful venture with Canvas Bar. The restaurant will be serving from breakfast through the dinner hours and feature an array of different types and styles of food. Breakfast offerings will be traditional in nature and lunch will include some lite options such as soups and signature pizza.
Canvas Bar will be an "upscale internet café by day and a sexy lounge by night it will completely transform with the tables, lights, everything" says Kirchmeyer. The dinner menu will have a more upscale selection with artisan pizzas and cheese and meat boards. Every Sunday a traditional English roast will be offered with all the trimmings which adds to the overall of idea bringing a little of London to Buffalo.
In addition to the restaurant component of the project, there will also be a performance space for local musicians. Her partner, Steve McCarthy plans to have a recording studio in order to make the building a prominent destination for musicians and artists.
"We like jazz, but we're not looking for a dance club feeling, we want jazz and acoustic acts...we're looking to tap into something a little different, to become a hub for local artists to showcase their talents," says Dawn. She promises that the grand opening this summer will be "unlike that of anything Buffalo has ever seen."
Get Connected: Canvas Bar
Glad to see some more progress on the 500 block. It has been pretty desolate for awhile now. Best of luck.