Thank you Pano!! I'm not suprised that he moved so quickly in taking the Atwater house down. There definitly comes a point where you have to decide what's best, this was definitly for the best, it's ashame it took so long. Good luck to Pano!!

....

next stop 916-918 Main, then the 399 Franklin, after that there is another brewery waiting.. ohh and while your at it the city hall could go for some "progress" Enjoy your parking lot.and cheap stucco building that is going to fall apart in 15 years.

What an asshole. Progress? That's exactly what they said when they tore down the old public library, German Insurance Bldg, Larkin Bldg., etc. etc. Mike & Hash, you two are seriously warped.

Just when you thought the strip was safe from hotels and other development along comes Panos to restore our faith in the parking lot and other suburban mindsets.

This wil bring more tax dollars to the city how? Sales tax from more patrons? Pano already owned the property... so no net gain in property tax. What a price to pay for a bigger eatery and expanded parking. Never again shall I dine at this establishment.

People always ask me, "Pano how do you knock down century old homes that you neglected so cheap ?"

Now that's what I call a man of action. All you hippies will have to find something else to go protest now. It really makes his classy restaurant stand out more and beautifies that area. I normally go to TGI Fridays on Friday but tonite I shall dine at this fine establishment.

Get ready for the parking lot next week......let's just hope Pano is true to his word and moves forward with his planned two story development of the parcels. My fingers are crossed.

Its sad, there was a lot that could have been salvaged prior to the demolotion, especially the sandstone.

Tough call on this one. But it is a positive development for the street. It is a sign that Elmwood Ave is progressing and growing as a destination. The hotel is also an indication of this (sadly there was too much opposition though).

The point is that, yes it is extremely important to save and preserve what makes our community unique from X city, however you must be able to pick your fights. In reality a vibrant Elmwood commercial district is vital for the surrounding community to grow and prosper.

So tear down the Richardson Complex? Hell No, over my dead body, I'll kill who ever dreams it. However tear down a residential home in a commercial district dying to compete with the Galleria, i think so. Its healthy and its the only way Buffalo is going to get out of this mess.

And for the preservation hardliners I'd say take a small dose of reality or economic development with that passion and then you could see things a bit clearer. But again, tough call.

Have any of you seen the design for the addition? It looks nice and isn't just a "parking lot" I agree that this is a tragedy for Elmwood, but if all of these people care about it they should of bought it and fixed it up. We as a city need to learn how to move on from the past and embrace the future. Have any of you seen the design for the addition? It looks nice and isn't just a "parking lot" I agree that this is a tragedy for Elmwood, but if all of these people care about it they should of bought it and fixed it up. We as a city need to learn how to move on from the past and embrace the future.

Isn't this article just a tad over dramatic considering there are thousands of homes in Buffalo that would put this one to shame.

Isn't this article just a tad over dramatic considering there are thousands of homes in Buffalo that would put this one to shame.

Forget the article Vavoom, take that argument to the preservationists

Several things: parking is not NEEDED but wanted....there's a difference...and Piercylskerlewski, glad to see you spend your money at the chains...

The rendering for the new Pano's looks decent. If the finished product will actually look like that is another story. This is one house that got demolished for expansion of a business dedicated to Elmwood. It is not Rite-Aid or Walgreen's or some big box store. It is not the end of the world.

I find it tragic that no one seems to care of all the vacant homes and demolished houses East of Main St.

Actually NB3004 - it is the article.

Just for clarification there were only a handful of people who actually opposed the hotel, that was stopped because of legal deed restrictions NOT preservationists. There were thousands who opposed this demo just goes to show what little power preservationists actually have in this city.

And this isn't parking for Elmwood it is only parking for Pano's no one else will be allowed. So fret not any parking issues you that might exist are still going to exist. I will hold reservations on the new building until I see it, but from the building he is in now I doubt much money or quality is going to go into the new one. I could be wrong but he doesn't seem like a guy that builds buildings for the long term otherwise he would have seen the real value of Atwater. So much wood and stone to wasted when it could have proved functioned at least 50-100 more years, off to the landfill. I doubt anything he builds will last as long as the Atwater did.

One critical point is being missed by some of you. No this is not (was not) a structure of any "great" historic value, yet it was an example of what makes Elmwood great, namely an eclectic mix of unique structures. As I've said before, if Pano's imaginary rendering comes to fruition I will lay down prostrate and beg forgiveness, but as so many others have noted his true intention was & is to add more parking, the only job this will ultimately add is another guy sitting in a cheap chair monitoring parking. Dreams of a greasy spoon palace are merely a smokescreen. Remember, this place was vacant only due to Pano's neglect, like so many other spots on Elmwood it did & could have continued to house businesses.

Pano is bum !!! I refuse to ever step foot into this place and will recommend other food establishments to people. This guy is probably sitting at home now with his son laughing at this historic city. He has no respect for Buffalo, just his hungry wallet. This POS new-build will be falling apart in 20 years; 10 years after he moved out to the burbs. DONT DINE AT PANOS!

Deed restrictions ? Asbestos removal ?

Bravo! More evidence that Buffalo is truly a city on the move! Just keep doing what you have been doing for forty years. It has really paid off, hasn't it? You have to lasso most people anywhere else in the country to even get them to listen to an argument that Buffalo is worth thinking about. One more landmark razed; one more dime-a-dozen, mediocre Greek restaurant gets more parking. A few more demolitions and the whole city is "dust in the wind."

Well, I used to make a trip to Panos just about every time I visited my folks. His desire to demolish the building bothered me, but it wasn't enough to make me stop going. The swiftness with which he tore it down, in my mind, is a message sent to the community: your opinion doesn't matter to me. He apparently was not even willing to consider letting someone else salvage what was valuable about this home (for clarification, I think the whole thing was valuable as it was where it was, but since that didn't fit Pano's plan, pieces of the home could have been salvaged).

I won't go there anymore, if simply because I don't trust people who behave like this.

Pano's is a great neighbor. They have donated alot of money to charity over the years and really have nothing but the best interests of the neighborhood at heart. You can't save everything. A very impressive and beautiful new Pano's is on the way. Pano's is great for Elmwood. Thank You Panos!

It was incredible to see how Pano closely worked with the community and embraced the vision of Elmwood avenue as being a walkable, vibrant, mixed-use business district composed of interesting architecture.

It was amazing to see him graciously accept the pro-bono work of local architects who offered to help marry the concepts of reuse and good urban design with expanding a small business.

If only every business owner acted so responsibly as Pano, then our city would be full of single use buildings of unitarian design set in a sea of asphalt. Oh, wait. That's the Town of Amherst....

Its about time, that house was a complete eyesore on the blcok...Historic? My ass! Lets move forward for once!!! You cant keep looking back to when this was a great city...that was 100 years ago!!! GET A LIFE AND MOVE ON! CONGRATS PANO!!!

Come on guys, this house is by no means a landmark. Give me a break. It was an interesting house and beautiful in its own right but besides of its age it is not historically significant and it was in shambles. I do not condone letting any property get run down just so you have a stronger exuse to raze it but there are hundreds of more historically significant homes in Buffalo that no one cares about, maybe because of the neighborhoods they are in? This home was not designed by anyone famous nor did it start any building trends. And TOFER did you ever hear of an appraisal? If Pano's new building is worth more than the previous structure, which it definitly will be, he will end up paying more taxes on the property than before. So yes there is a net gain in taxes. I cannot figure out how you don't understand this. In the end I see this as a sad day but also a start of something new that may draw further investment in that area. Look at the houses from Forest down to Pano's, almost all of them are run down and not very well taken care of. Maybe this will spur some renovation or improvement for the area.

Correction to the above article. The court did not rule that Pano could demolish his property because he had the legal right to do so. No such legal right exists in common law. The public has a right to regulate the use of property for the public interest and to protect the value of nearby property. The court made a decision bacause the former commissioner of permits and inspections, Ray McGurn, wrote a deliberately arbitrary and capricious letter to Pano which put the City in a highly tenuous position in defending its decision to deny a demo permit. If the process hadn't been so poorly conceived under Masiello, or if the current administration cared at all, the City could have prevented this demolition and it can prevent future demolitions when it needs to defend the public interest.

But no one needs to blame Pano. This decision was Byron Brown's.

maybe now they will have clean restrooms!

stopped going to Pano's a long time ago b/c his actions speak louder than words: it's my property, I can do what I want with it even if it means allowing it to rot, and, f@#k it, I'm tearing it down. Never understood why it's so crowded while the food is extremely mediocre; oh, that's right, it's cheap... just like his tacky new design.

This demolotion is a travesty. We lost this battle, but there is still time to save every single one of the grain elevators on the Buffalo River and the outer harbor. And after that we should pool resources to defend one of Buffalo's greatest infrastructure treasures between Tift Street and the 190 ramps; that concrete heaven on the way to the sky. If we are ever going to resurrect this city we need to keep everything frozen in time no matter how trivial or obstructive it is in the grand scheme of things.

Sincerely, F. A. Cetious Chief advertsing executive for Cartoon Network, GM, and Snickers

Such an uproar!

Would you guys be fighting this hard for an old home on the East Side? I doubt it. Out of sight, out of mind.

This is how things are done in Buffalo: Public be Damned, Public be Damned some more, money has the ONLY say, and then wonder why so few people want to live in the city. "Nice" is a word for other places - we are not allowed it in Buffalo.

Mark your calendars for 2017, when Georgiadis will be dead and Pano's will be an empty dump with a FOR RENT sign in the window, same as 2 other eateries within 2 blocks now.

Im all for saving old buildings and history, but you have to way both side of this. This building did not have all that much history too it, and was not in the best of condition. No one had any other plans for it or the money to do so. In 2017 this house would have been a death trap and an eye sore while Niko Georgiadis had taken over his fathers business and moved it to Amherst to get away from the eye sore. Than we would have 2 empty buildings.

When we "way" the sides here, we see that Mr.Greasyspoon MADE this place what it was- he MADE it vacant, then purposely wrecked what he could & left it open to the elements. Any "eye sore" was his own purposeful conniving.

It would be interesting to see how much he bribed city officials for this.

I have an honest objective question. What is the rationale behind saving the Atwater House ? Someone please provide me objective logic for a decision process which would result in its preservation. Saying it is old is not enough. I am all for saving and conserving Buffalo's identity. However one must also be realistic enough to recognize that there must be a balance between preservation and erasure in order to develop an urban fabric which is rich and layered.

I agree. I think that some people on Elmwood want the entire area to stay in a timewarp.

I have a suggestion for all the preservationists that has been repeated over and over again. Be proactive and identify the buildings you would like to save. Some of the buildings will be demolished, but see which ones you can save.

Prl119, Haven't you read the posts here? The Atwater House supported viable businesses & apartments until Pano evicted them all as he wanted to tear it down. Also, our "rich" urban fabric, as you call it, is no longer rich because of such demolitions. The spot will become a parking lot end of story. Sulley, Keeping Elmwood in a timewarp is precisely the idea, you would prefer N. Falls Blvd or Transit Rd? It's amazing how split opinion is over this issue.

For anyone happy with the demo, you have to understand why Elmwood has taken off in recent years and why removing business/ rental space for parking is going to kill that upswing. Pano is not replaceing the atwater with that "pretty" rendering, he's replacing it with a parking lot. This is what happened to the neighborhood between Allentown and downtown. it devoured itself in parking. now there is the precedent that elmwood can devour itself in parking as any business could buy the neighboring building and build a surface lot.

Art Gypsy & nyc, From my perspective you two summed this up perfectly. Thanks

I have read the posts on this board as I have been following the story recently, which is difficult half the world away but I'm doing my best. Firstly I would like to state tha I am arguing this case assuming Pano's will build as stated or demostrated in the illustrations and plans. If this does not occur then this is clearly an injustice and there should be consequences. I have never claimed that Buffalo has a "rich" urban fabric, in my opinion it is a dead urban fabric, which was at one point was rich and interesting. I also very clearly understand the issue and joy of preservation districts and urban fabrics, as these concerns have been a center point of my research and passion for several years. I am uncertain of how a new building will not add to an urban fabric of existing eccentric buildings, obviously it will not have the historic value but something will be added.

Perhaps the best solution is for a set of design guidelines for the Elmwood district to be put in place in attemps to prevent a suburbanization of the district. Maybe there already is such a system, but if not such concerns of parking lot size, street set back, material style, even building height can be regulated in attempt to maintain an existing character. An example which imideiately jumps to my head is Guidecca, Italy outside of Venice. With guidelines in place this district has been rebuilt, yet is very clearly a Venitian neighborhood. Therefore the fear of a looming Cole's takeover would be avoided.

For too long we've had to put up with "father knows best." The 20th century should teach us that trying to create a legacy by tearing buildings down very rarely works out for you or the community.

Look, this is an extremely tough call! However, Panos is looking to expand in the city on the Elmwood Strip and NOT move to Amherst, West Seneca, Clarence or somewhere else. Hopefully the new building will be something the community can be proud of and fit the character of the neighborhood.

On another note, imagine if there were no deed restrictions forbidding businesses from the "historic" properties on the same block. (funny how there are stores there) We could have had a first class hotel that our museums could have touted to bring in people from out of town to see that beautiful part of the city and spend their money at the bars, stores and yes....maybe even Panos.

Having lived in Minneapolis, a much colder city that is economically flouishing, I have seen that sometimes you have to build new structures in older, established communities to grow!

Buffalopundit:

"If Pano follows through with his new design, the property will increase in value, therefore being assessed higher, and pay more in property taxes than the current restaurant and the Atwater house."

Just out of curiousity, is that assuming the assessed value of the Atwater house in its abandoned state under ownership of Panos? Or is that assuming its assessed value under previous ownership as a successful residential and commercial piece of real estate that Pano killed?

Oh yeah... and I shall never dine at that establishment again.

I am shocked and dismayed at the manner in which the building was simply smashed to the ground. Surely, a 100+ year old house had woodwork, staircase, planeling, fireplace surrounds, etc. worth salvaging. I believe that every permit for demolition should require that the house be inspected by qualified people to determine which parts should be removed and warehoused for future re-use.

RPreskop, Pano is the slumlord who made the atwater a 'rat trap' as you describe. and parking replacing building. buffalo has been trying to revitalize that way for 50 years. big success eh?

The renderings of the Panos expansion seem really nice... shoud meld with the streetscape and give a "city" feel which is what everyone wants right? I am having a difficult time understanding what all this fuss is about.

I greatly respect the folks here who want to preserve our character dwellings. There are similar structures all around the city in various stages of neglect. Instead of turning your ire towards the people at Panos, how about channeling all that energy into doing something substantial to save what can be saved?

the renderings are misleading unless you look at the zoomed out view where parking flanks the building and another drive cuts across the sidewalk. also he is proceeding "cautiously" with expansion plans .. ie, there is a good chance that rendering will remain just that.

Note to all the compainers...Pano's doesnt need your business. Business is thriving and has increased since you all made a stink about this shithole. Atwater never owned this home so calling it "The Atwater House" is factually incorrect. This house was NOT a landmark, nor should it have been. So go on to your next ballbreaking of some owner somewhere, and I can finally park my car in Panos lot, because there is definitely not enough parking there and I enjoy having business lunches there. NEXT!!!

This:

"I greatly respect the folks here who want to preserve our character dwellings. There are similar structures all around the city in various stages of neglect. Instead of turning your ire towards the people at Panos, how about channeling all that energy into doing something substantial to save what can be saved?"

Is totally true. Why not focus energies on some of the beautiful homes in other areas of Buffalo that need help too? Elmwood isn't a little bubble.

Tofer, you still don't get it. regardless of the Atwater house housing a successful business or vacant, the property value of an expanded, practically all new building, will be much greater than just the house alone. If Pano had keep the Atwater house in good condition it still would not be assessed for as much as his new building will be. Also as for the comments that the property will just be a parking lot, only 15 more spaces are being created. Part of his new building will be where the Atwater once stood. A few posts make it sound as if he is just going to pave over the whole plot which is not the case.

A successful business expands, at the cost of losing an unimportant house that had noone had any demonstrable interest in putting to a better use. This is a good thing, and comparisons to the Larkin Building, etc.are wildly inappropriate.

FrankNoClass says:" I enjoy having business lunches there. " haha... Does he treat his 'clients' to Slurpees for dessert, too?

Edisonic, maybe if you had any business to conduct, u would know there are about 3 places where all deals are cut at lunch time...Panos, Chris' Deli on Delaware, and a few places downtown. But I know how you probably just suck the state system teet like the rest of the broke armchair critics on this site. I hope he buys the rest of those dilapidated homes down the street and creates Elmwoods largest Parking Lot....Supersize it baby!!!!

What a shame, that was the nicest building on that block of Elmwood. The building to the right of Pano's should have been torn down, it is sooo ugly. The Atwater represented the look and feel of the Elmwood Villiage neighborhood better than many of the others and should have been saved.There are too many other blank spaces on Elmwood that need to be filled or rebuilt to have to destroy an Antique building like that. This city has no class.

Nice going Pano, you retard.

I guess I'll never be eating at Pano's again...

so the drawings of the proposed expansion are all wrong. someone should fire the illustrator for causing all this fuss.

oh i love the name calling.

This entire issue has little to do with the Atwater House from my perspective and of course Pano has every right to expand his business. Pano is a victim of the city's lack of development codes that would have defined the manor in which the atwater site could have been redeveloped and the lack of protection of historically significant properties so he would know before he purchased the house whether is was valued by the community. (I am not saying it should have been protected)

this is a mess because the city is so slow at adopting smart development codes that are popular in other cities. The code would require the site to be developed to the sidewalk with no additional curb cuts or sidewalk abutting parking. Also, before demoing the house the city would need some guarentee that the expansion was moving forward and shouldn't be allowed to indefinitly use the site for parking.

Shawnj46:

"Tofer, you still don't get it. regardless of the Atwater house housing a successful business or vacant, the property value of an expanded, practically all new building, will be much greater than just the house alone. If Pano had keep the Atwater house in good condition it still would not be assessed for as much as his new building will be."

No, I get it. Really I do. I swear, I get it. Stop looking at me that way. I really do get it.

Not to flog this dead horse much more, but...

There are several things I'm considering. Such as: will this new and improved, not like your parents had, impress your friends, scare your enemies, pick up chicks, better than ever, super duper, home of the power brokers and deal makers, ultra deluxe, smash mouth in your freaking face, Panos... be all that its supposed to be to begin with? There are doubts. Bear in mind what happened to the Atwater house under ownership of mean old Pano. Now ponder the primary goal of any business, which is to make a profit. Consider the secondary goal of any business, which is to maximize said profit. I don’t recall anything from EC101 mentioning anything about contributing as much as possible to the city's tax base. My guess is that the new structure will be designed limiting any and all tax burdens. (snide Andy Roony voice) But that’s just a guess.

Was not a nearby change in location considered? You know, one that would kick up less shhh... dust? What about your tax dollars TVM (time value of money)? Sure, the sexy new Panos will replace a successful one that had been around for some time, but restaurants are VERY often VERY fleeting businesses. Where will Panos be in ten years? Twenty years? Main Street in Clarence Hollow? (Dana Carveys Church Lady voice) Well, isn’t that special.

The Atwater house was around for over 100 years. That is, before it was bought, tenants evicted, building abandoned, left to rot, left in real estate limbo for years, then under dubious means very quickly demo’d. If mean old Pano was your neighbor, would you like him? (Adam West contemplative voice) Is... Pano... the kind of guy... you would want... to do business with?

Will the new Panos really be assessed at SUCH a greater amount that other, perhaps more important considerations, will be outweighed? Assessment wise, will the one, new, ultra shiny building-on-a-hill, replace the two structures that existed on the same lot (previously two taxable lots)? The new (expanded) building will probably be constructed overnight of the cheapest materials available, not of Medina sandstone. If assessment value does increase, by how much will it? Was it worth it?

I don’t know. I just don’t like it. Im really not much of a preservationist or anything of the sort, I just don’t like it. Nor should anyone, really. But heck, smoke em if yuh got em, cowboy!

(Elaine Benes voice) Never again shall I dine at this establishment.

Peope, please let go!!! Medina Sandstone? I mean come on...that is ridiculous. Cities move, people move on, JUST LET GO!!! Buffalo is a shrinking city because people just cant let go... ALl the while the rest of the country has boomed, flourished and grown, while we sit stagnant...a joke to the rest of our nation. So dont go there if you dont want to...Panos will be just fine without you, as you are without him. But dont hold grudges, in his mind the new jobs, sales taxes, property taxes, charitable donations, and own goodwill are more than enough for him to sleep well at night. Leave it at that.

very sad day for Buffalo.

Anyone who sees this as progress has a very narrow understanding of what is possible. This is just one mre small step toward mediocrity fro the city of Buffalo.

Too bad. With a little imagination this restaurant could have been something very special.

The only word that comes to mind is pathetic. It's difficult to understand that there are people celebrating the destruction of an interesting century old house that was allowed to deteriorate by its owner, Pano G., And it's difficult to understand that there are people who think expanding what is basically a run-of-the- mill diner is going to transform Buffalo. Can anyone be that naive to think Pano G. is going to shut his business for a year (at least) while another building is built? Did "Niki" say anything like "well, we wanted to get the new building started ASAP"??? And I understand some offers were made on the Atwater several years ago but Pano G. refused to sell. And LIVINGFORGE - love it!! The photo and caption sums up the entire scenario. Would you like more gravy with those fries?

"It's difficult to understand that there are people celebrating the destruction of an interesting century old house that was allowed (made) to deteriorate by its owner"

Not too difficult to understand, when you consider that the gloating comments are all from the most ignorant and most miserable people.

The next step should be preventing this family of parasites from profiting in any way from their spit-in-the-face-of-the-community crime. Keep them from paving new parking spots, building anything, any expansion. Show that we won't just bend over and accept the practice invented by the Greeks.

edisonic, hahaha, the Greeks didn't invent paving you fool. Let's get out facts straight before posting anything here. Does anyone else think that his restaurant now looks like a Greek temple with that shack out of the way.

Frankie, It is apparent that you are making an attempt at humor by taking an extreme contarian view of everything (which I hope is in fact the case, if it is not then you are very feeble minded). Yet your attempts at humor remain just that, attempts. Whether serious or not, your comments add absolutely nothing to the ongoing discussions.