If you were driving up Delaware Avenue on Wednesday afternoon you may have seen red and white balloons blowing in the wind at 1040 Delaware. Greenleaf & Company and Paul Kolkmeyer had a ribbon cutting ceremony for their recently completed luxury apartments. Guests awaited the ceremony in true Buffalo fashion, decked with proud smiles on their faces as mother nature gave everyone a wintry hint of what is soon to come.
Originally a nursing home, the building sat vacant for ten years. The simple three-story brick structure was converted into a remarkable four-story mixed-use building. David Wylier and Associates were the architects. Conceptually, the basement was exposed by carving out the original front entry sequence. This allowed for an additional 2000 sq. ft. of commercial ground floor space which is accessed by a new looped drive for pedestrian drop-off.
After a speech from Greenleaf's general manager Jim Swiezy, the red ribbon was cut and guests were invited inside to view the apartments. Impressed with the attention to detail, I found myself wanting to live in this building. The lobby's beautiful dark wood panels compliment the beige tiled floors. Hallways are adorned with textured wallpaper and wall to wall carpeting. The stylish green/gray color palette was offset by white moldings throughout the building. The 49 one and two bedroom apartments feature hardwood floors, solid surface Corian counters, stainless steel appliances and tiled baths. Several of the units are handicapped-accessible including fully handicap accessible kitchens and special ordered appliances.
When asked if there were any surprises during the construction process, Carrie Carney. head of marketing for Greenleaf said, "Surprises, I think we both know a conversion of that magnitude is nothing but surprises on a daily basis and our project manager Mark Tufillaro handled every issue very professionally, immediately and kept on task. The biggest problem Mark had was dealing with the old infrastructure of the building."
Just how "green" is Greenleaf? Carrie said, "We do try as much as we possibly could in keeping with 'green technology' with staying cost efficient. We most certainly will try in our upcoming projects to do a even better job in keeping 'green' in all our renovations and design."
Greenleaf's upcoming projects include the Hager Mill Lofts at 141 Elm Street (the former Spaghetti Warehouse) and 916 Main Street (The Summit Building).
Rents range from $850 up to $1,295/month for the one and two-bedroom units. To inquire about leasing an apartment or commercial space contact Greenleaf & Company at 716.885.8538. You better hurry 75 percent of the building has already been leased.
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Interior Images by Dylan Marsh
Really stunning transformation-kudos to all involved. I suspect it will look even better with some age (and, maybe, huge flowerpots out front).
Now, can you do something to help beautify the God-awful tower across the street?