Buffalorising has been redesigned.

The description of the new addition is a guaranty of pure crap replacement for this elegant building. Lets hope that the people in authority have a back bone to stand up to this stupidity!

let's propose a high-rise condo project at the adjacent surface parking lot to assure the landmark status of 399 Franklin

That won't be necessary quinnyarch. This building is already in the Allentown Preservation District.

What happens here is pretty fundamental. You have a light industrial business that has existed in more or less the same spot for many years, and a dense residential/mixed use neighborhood that is being reborn around it with significant public and private investment.

Is the hightest and best use of the land under 399 Franklin supporting this 100+ year old building that could be part of Allentown's rebirth as a mid to high end residential neighborhood, or is the hightest and best use supporting a single story warehouse with some contemporary attempt at contextual disguise?

The public sector should play an important role here, not just in upholding the preservation protections, but in finding Keller Brother & Miller new land within a more appropriate light-industrial area of Buffalo where they can build a new plant. If necessary there should be a swap of land with Keller Bros. with the City then RFPing 399 and 401 Franklin as they did successfully twice in the 800 block. This would serve the greater good.

Not too long ago the City swapped a municipally owned parking lot in Allentown to Benderson in exchange for land upon which to build the new Hertel and Elmwood Fire Station, using the same technique to save these buildings while making Keller Bros. whole seems to make sense.

The questions about the suitability of Keller Bros. expansion at 399 Franklin go beyond architectural preservation. Deliveries to and from the plant by 18-wheelers are bound to increase.

Time to start a new history for Allentown... out with the old, in with the new and improved...

I would suggest people show up to the public meeting to show support in saving the building, if 5 empty buildings such as what now houses "The Granit Works" can be salvaged, I am sure these can be also. It's one thing to blog/complain about it and another to actually do something about it...

Martin,

Agreed. Direct involvement is key. If Graniteworks can turn, others will too.

Reading morning e-mail...Preservation Board is focusing on 204 High Street and strongly opposing its demolition. Folks there are passionate about its future re-use. I'll be attending next week's sub-committee meeting, where 204 High is on the agenda.

I brought up this property a couple months ago saying that if something doesn't happen it is going to be taken down, Anyone know when the preservation board meets? I will definitely show up...

Not only granite works but there was the fire scorched building on St James that has a new life, buildings are not candy wrappers to just be disposed of when done. It is wasteful and disrespectful to our city.

There is plenty of room to expand, hell there is a lot right next to this building he can build on. Or there are other TONS of lots on Franklin.

Why demolish when we have room to build, it would be cheaper for him to NOT demolish this building and just build someplace close nearby on an emply lot.

There is actually a big empty lot right BEHIND his building that is a mud pit, no one uses it, why doesn't he just expand backwards towards St Louis Place wouldn't that make more sense?

This building might be down by now, if its demolition had not already been opposed by neighborhood organizations and the Pres Board. This is not the first request. The problem is, Keller Bros owns it, and although the city can stop a demolition, it can't make them develop it. (Except indirectly through citations for violations, etc.) This has been going on too long. I agree that attendance at the hearing advocating preservation and reuse may help get something going for this property. It is a beautiful, if neglected structure--i walk by it often. (Garden note--it did have a lovely wisteria vine on it, which has been removed. You could smell it up and down the block.)

October 19, 3 p.m., sbrof. I'll be there.

This from the minutes of the PReservation Board, Feb 16 2006 - the owner has wanted to demolish this place since at least March 2000. A link to the 2/16/06 minutes is in my name.

(Btw, this house would have looked a little old-fashioned by 1880; It is likely 10 or more years older. The Cornelius Horton family was living there in 1876, according to church records. Maybe someone can find out if he was important to history

Not every old building ought be salvaged. Someone suggested that the owner could build on the vacant lot immediately adjacent to this site: Well, no they can't. I guess they could if they bought that lot from the church which owns it, but the church has no interest in selling it.

People are wringing their hands over this building, but there are many like it in Allentown, the fruit belt and the lower west side, both in and out of historic pres. areas. I haven't seen the artist's renditions of the proposed addition, but any time a viable local business is willing to spend real money to improve their property and do it in a conscientious manner, I'm inclined to listen.

I infer that this is a conscientious manner because of the description of the addition, which sounds like considerable thought has been put into placing the new building in context and also the fact that they have intended this demo for six years according to above.

Moreover, this particular building has a pretty high profile as you drive out Franklin (which ought to be two way traffic, but I digress). Seeing it gone and an attractive facade to the addition of the neighboring building would, I suspect, be a plus for that fairly commercial block. Someone opined that downtown will not encroach into Allentown. It does now. There are a number of businesses on that block (retail, office) in addition to residential. That is a good thing. I hope downtown expands (via Main Street, the medical corridor, etc.) such that Allentown becomes identified as simply a downtown neighborhood seemlessly connected to the Lower West Side and the central business district as well as what has been described as 'midtown'.

On the other hand, it does distress me that the City is planning to demolish the building on High Street David photographed. There is an instance where the owner (the city) could really invite innovation by properly marketing the property and selling it appropriately inexpensively to a bona fide responsible owner.

If anyone is enchanted with High Street, buy it from the city now before demolition. If anyone has the appropriate connections, prevail upon City Hall not to demolish a cool complex that may attract a great re-use. That is unless there is a larger picture of which I am ignorant (perhaps the city is assembling a larger parcel to encourage hospital corridor development; I don't know).

biniszkiewicz,

I agree that expanding the plant in Allentown, but on another lot behind or beside, isn't feasible.

You lose me though when you weight the current condition of the building against the best case scenario for the future printing plant addition. Those are not the alternatives we should be considering. Which would we rather see, a restored and fully occupied version of the current building, or the printing plant? I know which one fits best with Allentown and the way the neighborhood is redeveloping.

Business expansion is great, but it shouldn't always be allowed to trump larger public goals, especially when there are alternative locations. With all the money, public and private, being invested in residential and commercial renovations throughout Downtown and Allentown, is this the best location for a light industrial facility?

Speaking of two-way traffic, it will be harder to get that when more big trucks are making deliveries to and from the new plant. This isn't hypothetical, big trucks now regularly park in the travel lane in front of the current plant, cars can go around them without any problem, but if it's two-way, not so easily.

With the cost of demo in the equation (as well as what they could sell the two buildings for) I feel sure that with a little incentive from the public sector, Keller Brothers could spend less money building from scratch on a vacant lot somewhere in a more appropriately zoned part of the City. Win, win.

Business is business. What Buffalo needs is more business. When an existing business is growing and proposes to expand, we need to do whatever we can to help that business succeed. We have too many arm chair preservationists. How many small printing businesses have folded in Buffalo during the past few years? The answer is "several" . Buffalo needs to grow. The real issue here is whether the new construction is satisfactory. That issue can be negotiated. Forcing Keller Bros. to move is not a solution. I assume they have substantial power equipment and a significant investment in electrical components. We should celebrate when a business is succeeding. Instead, too many citizens of Buffalo want to criticize. Let's move forward in a positive way. Help this business continue to succeed.

As it happens, I sell commercial real estate for a living. So if Keller were forced to move, I could earn a commission selling them something. I happen to have a building listed nearby that I thought might be attractive to them. So I figured what the heck? I stopped in and introduced myself. Maybe I could make a commission.

Very nice guy, the owner (Salerno). He showed me the sketch of the front. I like it, I think many will. The side will be disquised somewhat by fake windows. I didn't see a sketch of that. The expansion will cost them $500,000 between the demo and new build.

The company is a fourth generation family owned business. It has been in business since 1916. It has been at this location since 1922. Let me repeat that. They've been in their current building since 1922 (until 1993 they occupied the second floor; in 1993 Allison Carpet moved across the street and Keller expanded).

The property I thought might be attractive isn't big enough for them.
They had thought of relocating. I'm glad they didn't do what they were thinking.

They considered buying the former Savage printing on Main Street (1291). They would have demolished the front building (which has a lot of charm: Big Paladian windows (now covered), it was built as a Studebaker dealership showroom). It sits on Main Street directly opposite Bryant (1291 Main). Autopia is the current tenant.

As it happens, I brokered the sale of that building earlier this year to Cash Cunningham. Cash is the perfect owner of that building for one reason: he owns all the land behind it. The problem with 1291 Main had been that it was 28,000 square feet with no land at all. No parking spaces. Another buyer may well have tried to do the same: knock down the front to create parking. Now parking can go behind. Anybody needs 28k' on Main Street, with parking, talk to me.

Anyway, I'm glad Keller didn't buy it.

But they have looked into moving. And every opportunity they examined became too expensive. I think what they have planned looks good. I can agree that it would be wonderful to see the place next door get rehabbed. I even had an established business ask me about that very building earlier this year. It wasn't for sale, but that can be changed. But my buyers lost any interest when they found out the parking lot next door wasn't part of the deal.

I'd love to make a commission moving these guys. If anyone comes up with a good idea, I'll happily send you to dinner somewhere (we can't, by law, give you much of value). But the ideas I had don't work. And when I asked the owner where, geographically, was the ideal spot to be, he indicated it was right there. That's when he told me they'd been in the buidling since 1922. And that's where he really prefers to stay.

They seem to be very reasonable people. Seriously, if you have ideas, let me know. I need 15,000-20,000 square feet on a single floor in a decent neighborhood, not too expensive. Some of you mentioned vacant lots. Where specifically?

We are a business partner of Keller Bros. and Miller. We believe their intentions are honorable and will be respective of the surrounding area as well as paying attention to the history of the building itself. My vote is for them to proceed.

Um, biniszkiewicz, you get a serious pat on the back for proactively seeking a better site for Keller, but you've already admired the urban prairie in your neighborhood out loud on BRO so you can't pretend you don't know where vacant lots are.

Look at Grant Street, Massachusetts Avenue, Connecticut Street, Michigan Avenue, Niagara. There are several former factories in Black Rock/Riverside. One on Niagara Street is now occupied by Infinity Glass, a woman-owned wood sash manufacturing company. If she can move her business there, so can Keller.

If you haven't already done so, download Google Earth and zoom in on Buffalo. Vacant lots galore.

Oil & Vinegar:

Perhaps I wasn't as clear as might have been. I am aware of plenty of vacant lots. I'm looking for one in a good area that this company might actually move to. In addition to other considerations they need a place where employees and customers are comfortable working and interacting. Unfortunately the sites you mention don't bring this comfort level.

198 William was profiled recently on BR:

http://www.buffalorising.com/city/archives/2006/08/redevelopment_opportunity_5.php

How about a piece of the Buffalo Forge site- being made shovel-ready as we speak.

biniszkiewicz,

Considering the low ratio of industry in relation to everything else in Allentown--housing, restaurants, retail, offices--it is self-evident that most businesses comparable to Keller are thriving and serving customers in other parts of the city. So Allentown is not the only possible place Keller can make a living.

I again cite Infinity Glass and add the woman-owned Vilardo Printing on Connecticut Street. If these streets are "comfortable" enough (let's admit that "comfortable" is a euphemism for "white") for women-owned businesses, they ought to be "comfortable" enough for Keller's customers.

I have one last thing to offer:

Empire Zones in Buffalo

Let's get these folks a juicy tax break and a new facility.

A building with fake windows and drivit exterior finish is not an appealing addition to Allentown or anyplace for that matter. Why do the well intentioned always sink to the lowest of lowbrow for these projects?

Can we at least ask them to build something that is not a trite imitation of historic buildings? Is that so unreasonable?

Without a specific site in mind I would offer the Oak, Elm, Michigan corridor between Genesee and Broadway as the most likely place to find a suitable building lot or existing building. Michigan especially has a number of vacant parcels, is seeing new construction north of Genesee, and is close enough to downtown and the highways to make sense. It is aleady commercial/light industrial in character and a new building would actually help it. It should also be "comfortable" enough for eveyone. There even existing building in this general area, William and Elm, Michigan south of Eagle, but they may not be suitable.

biniszkiewicz, if you find Keller Bros. a new site I'll buy _you_ dinner.

Oil & Vinegar:

Regarding "let's admit that comfortable is a euphamism for white".

Taint necessarily so. And there is absolutely no reason to play the race card on this. I lived for a long time a few blocks from their current location. I can assure you that plenty of minorities live near their current location including the majority of tenants in two apartment buildings on Franklin Street one half block south of their location. Also, I owned an apartment building in Allentown in which I had a number of minority tenants. If you don't think Allentown is a mixed neighborhood, perhaps you've never witnessed the daily migration to Friends of Night People.

Just because some particular business people feel comfortable in some particular areas doesn't mean all will. More goes into the sense of safety than the color of faces one encounters.

Among major signals that an area is 'safe', in the eyes of consumers and business owners are the number of vacant and distressed properties nearby, the crime conditions (parking lot vandalism, theft--just yesterday at a medical campus happy hour at Ulrich's I heard of a stick up in a parking lot for one of the medical campus employees, for example). These are real world considerations. Sorry if it conflicts with your utopian vision.

Besides, this company already indicated a willingness to locate to the east side of Main Street in a less fully redeveloped area. To imply that the reason they don't want to move is their racism is an injustice to them. But I'm happy to run any particular location by them. What specific locations were you thinking about exactly?

With regard to Charger's suggestion of Elm/Oak/Michigan corridor: That is a fertile ground for some poking. It's a good suggestion. Thanks. I'll take you up on dinner if I get lucky.

Keller Brother's have turned their current building and this one into eye sores over the years. There is nothing to gaurantee that they won't do the same with a new building or that they will survive in the long run. It has become increasingly difficult for small manufacturing businesses to survive in this country with Corporate America and off shore products. Light manufacturing doesn't really fit in this part of Allentown either. Buffalo's only salvation is its architecture. That is our hope and our future. That is what attracts people and business to our city now and especially the future. There are plenty of empty buildings and vacant lots in Buffalo. Every time we tear down a historic building we are losing something that can never be replaced due to the cost restraints in new construction. Demolitions like this are chipping away at the chances for Buffalo to emerge from the ashes.