285 Is An Attraction On Delaware


285 Delaware falls in-between Allentown and Chippewa. You would think that this location would be a big draw for a retailer or a restaurant. When I recently interviewed Jen Hemmingway, owner of The Jenny Shop, she told me that she was overwhelmed with the response that she had received from downtowners. That's great news, because the last time a clothing store (albeit bigger) failed, it sent out a message to others who would have opened businesses in the city. It's taken a while to even partially shed the failure of Taylor's Department Store. If Jen can make it in the Ellicott Square Building, I would think that a store in the 285 Delaware building would make it. I'm sure that it is more of an investment due to the nature of the building and the need for a build-out, but remember that the guys at Just Vino were surprised to find that the Granite Works building was actually reasonable.

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The Nicole Kidman/Studio Arena hoax that recently hit the media is an opportunity for some discussion about the way news travels these days, and begs comment on the phrase "Any publicity is good publicity".
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For over a decade, PRINT Magazine has been publishing a Regional Design Annual. This homage to graphic design receives more than 20,000 individual entries and only around two hundred are chosen as worthy entries into the yearly publication. They whittle down the entries in a stringent process of selection, picking only 5% of the first-rate winners from each region of the country that represent the best design, illustrations, and photography in the United States. This year, The Mar … 


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scooter
Great job uniland. the interior finishes are very nice. Developers consider this CLASS A office space. Something downtown has very very little of. This building will fill up.
The first floor retail will fill up at the same pace as Granite Works......That will take several months, but i think thats typical....even in the burbs.
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GDC
The street scene in these pics reminds me of Midtown's 6Th. Ave in NYC. Can totally see retailers filling up these spaces. Who do we contact if interested?
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wizardofza
I love this new building. The architecture is modern and refreshing, yet human-scaled and contextually sensitive.
The architects who designed this should be called upon for other new-builds in this city, it sure beats the fakey-historic crap getting built.
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sbrof
This really is a nice project. They have integrated some simple seating, bike racks, trees, garbage cans, lighting etc. All elements that make a street comfortable and functional for everyone. I particularly like the raised tree planters with the cluster of trees. I think it is time to realize that dirt at the same level at the sidewalk just means it is going to be trampled and compacted to the point where the tree's roots can't properly exchange gas and stunt their growth.
It also goes against the mentality that we need to have nothing on the sidewalks because of snow plowing concerns. Going buy here all winter it was maintained very well.
I could even imagine bars or restaurants in this building. Unlike the granite works which worried about noise for residences above. The late night scene would be a perfect fit with the office scene. They use the space at different time blocks.
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Dasein
I'd rather not see the Chippewa scene come to this building. Cheap beer and vomit is not the sort of thing that really lends itself to maintaining a good looking building. I'd much rather seem something like a cafe/bookstore or a decent restaurant open here.
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GDC
I can totally envision some clothing stores, gift store, and a restaurant in these spaces.
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drm1984
I was in this building last week. The investment side of M&T bank leases out at least 3 floors within the building and they have tons of local art covering their walls. I actually went to the building with a bunch of new M&T hires from all over the east coast. The new employees stayed at the Hyatt and sadly to say were not very impressed with the downtown.
Most of the comments heard were about how dead and rundown the central business district looked. I lobbied all week for Buffalo and took a few of the out of towners to the elmwood and hertel areas but it seems the majority of them were not impressed. Just thought you guys might enjoy a glimpse of what out of town professionals think of Buffalo when they visit for the first time.
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RaChaCha
This is indeed one *fine* building, and like you, Queenseyes, I've noted its progress from vacant lot with great interest. It's clearly modern, yet it "plays nice" with the other nearby buildings. Architecturally it's a good neighbor, and a good addition to Buffalo's unsurpassed Delaware Avenue collection.
Architecture has thankfully left behind the Post-modern era which included the idea that for a building to fit in it had to copy (unfortunately, often badly) features and styles from its surroundings. Although I really like some post-modern buildings (especially the Bausch & Lomb headquarters in My Fair City), taken to its logical extreme post-modernism resulted in some embarrassingly chameleon-like buildings. 285 Delaware shows clearly a more up-to-date idea of how good design can make a new building work with - and enhance - an existing streetscape of any era.
This is a building that will do its owners, designers, tenants, neighbors - and city - proud.
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mybuffalo
yea downtown is dead compared to nyc boston and but if you are out on a friday or saturday night it is tough to characterize any part of downtown as dead, neato building
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sbrof
I wonder how much of what they saw as dead was a part of wanting to see it that way. Everyone I know from NYC or other places that went to college here said Buffalo was a dead city. That was until I really showed them around the parks and neighborhoods that don't make the news coverage during a snow storm.
Everyone changed their mind about Buffalo. It obviously isn't Boston or NY and thats fine but it also if far from dead.
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magnum
Hats off to the people involved in its design. I can't give all the credit to the architects because, ultimately, its the people spending the money that make the final call.
Buffalo definitely needs to move foreword and get some more modern (hopefully taller) buildings.
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reflip
drm,
The first time I saw Buffalo I was very underwhelmed, too. Now I love it. So don't despair. In fact, check out today's NY Times for a piece about how people hate Park Slope (Brooklyn) because it's too yuppified, too suburban, not gritty enough.
People everywhere hate everything.
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