The news surrounding the Packard Building conversion is very exciting. As I biked around the site this past weekend I was in awe at the scale of the project... the building keeps extending down Riley Street almost the length of the block.
Just around the corner from the Packard building is the St. Vincent's Female Orphan Asylum. We've posted on this beauty a few times over the last couple of years. A walk by the front on Ellicott Street is a jaw-dropping experience. And when you think that Artspace is just a few blocks down and the Medical Campus is not for either... maybe it's time that a developer might finally feel that an investment is worth the effort to restore the gem. David Torke of Fix Buffalo has been keeping an eye on St. Vincent's as well. I spoke with David this morning, but he didn't have much news as far as investors go. From David:
"I talked to a developer a while back who was interested, but he decided that he was more interested in the waterfront. At one point the owner was going to sell the building for a dollar... that may have changed."
That's not a lot to go on. Following is an excerpt from Steel:
"This magnificent building erected in 1898 at Ellicott and Riley is part of the campus of buildings formerly housing the St. Vincent's Female Orphan Asylum. The campus also included the Squire Mansion which has recently been successfully renovated and fully leased (see post). I believe that this building was last used as part of the Erie Community College City Campus but has been sitting vacant since the early 1980's. If there is any building in Buffalo that should be renovated it is this one. It is another of those unheralded masterpieces by Buffalo's Green and Wicks architecture firm. It is so wonderfully urban creating great definition to the street. Its detailing and proportions are lush but restrained and sophisticated. You can just imagine the possibilities."
For more info on the building and potential redevelopment opportunities, see Fix Buffalo.