Holling Place Tour: Affordable Downtown Loft Living
Holling Place, the largest downtown residential project in over 20 years, opened to much acclaim in June. To date, approximately seventy percent of the 10-story building's 82 units have been leased.
Located at 501 Washington Street, the building's one and two-bedroom units offer spectacular downtown views. Due to tax credit financing, there are income restrictions for applicants with rents from $540. The complex offers free high-speed internet, exposed duct work, hardwood floors, exercise facility, business center, and fully equipped kitchens.
Eran Epstein's of E Square Capital is one of several developers seeing promising opportunities in converting attractive but obsolete downtown office and warehouse buildings into residential lofts. Holliing Place was built in 1924 and housed a commercial printing firm for many years. Epstein has other work underway. The firm plans on renovating a building across the street at 504 Washington Street into six, three-story loft condominiums in a project called "The Brownstone." 937 Broadway and the former YWCA Residence on North Street are being converted into senior citizen apartments.
Call 884-8213 for additional information.


As we mentioned in our previous post, we’re in the process of changing the Buffalo Rising site. We’re almost there as we expect to launch the new site on Friday, December 19th.
In the meantime, posting will be light as we log new stories in the new publishing system which will only be viewable when we launch on Friday.
As always, we appreciate our users’ patience as we make this transition but we promise it will be well worth it. With faster load times, a comment view …
Caroline Kennedy was in town for a visit with our mayor yesterday. A possible choice to succeed US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kennedy's name has been mentioned along with that of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (son of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo) and our own Byron Brown, among others.
Certainly, Kennedy has "been around politics" all of her life, which is to say she was born into a family of politicos and lived in the White House--neither of which would necessarily f …
Free light rail rides on downtown's above ground section could be derailed thanks to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority's budget mess. That is the news coming out of a Buffalo Place meeting this morning. Facing a budget shortfall and reduced State operating assistance, the NFTA is scrambling for new revenue sources and is contemplating charging for rides along the lengthy downtown pedestrian mall.
Well it is Christmas time in the city and the NFTA helped put people and especially children into the mood in a very festive and fun way. One of my favorite memories of childhood was taking the train downtown with my grandfather. I would gaze out the windows and watch the tunnel speed by. It always felt like we were going a million miles an hour.
Then there was the ability to stand up and walk around during the ride without the need to be strapped down. It was always a fun time … 




Comment Options
Chris
Wow, those apartments really look impressive! And the views!! They have some of the best in the city! Such an awesome development for our city!
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Jessica
I keep meaning to tel l you guys how much I like the "If you don't know us, you don't really know B-Lo" thing at the end of the slideshows." Looks great!
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D
I just wish someone would get around to turning the Hotel Layfeyette into apartments. Imagine the boost for downtown that would be!
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shopitall
The Hotel Lafayette is owned by someone from NYC who has probably never even seen the building. It's mostly low income housing that is rented by the week (like $90/wk) and seems to be pretty full!
Too bad that building hasn't had a little TLC & attention. It really is an eyesore at street level. The lobby still has its details but you can see where it's going. Rumor has it that the once fabulous ballroom is still there but I haven't seen it with my own eyes.
At the time it was built, for the Pan Am festivities, it was one of the premiere hotels in the COUNTRY! It had electricity & phones! I beleive it was designed by a female architect ,which was very unusual for the time.
Maybe we need to focus on the out of town owner & suggest to him some improvements that could be made to bring that cool building into better use.
Does Westcoast Perspective have any interesting info?
And a little info from Cynthia van Ness would also be GREAT!
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westcoastperspective
Here's a great link for additional Lafayette Hotel info:
http://ah.bfn.org/a/washngtn/391/index.html
Its a gem of a building that needs alot of work! With Seneca Paper going residential, a reuse hopefully moving forward for the AM&As site, and Termini developing the vacant lot behind the Lafayette, its value can only be increasing. There's a need for affordable SRO units, but there's a higher and better use for this building. The least they could do is take down the transmission tower!
Speaking of old hotels....rumors are swirling that the Statler may be sold soon.
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Larry Bartolomei
I just did a search of the tax records and the owners are listed as follows:
LAVAN HOTEL CORP
ALPHONSE HOTEL CORP
Address:
HOTEL LAFAYETTE BUFFALO, NY 14203-0000
Anyone know if they're local?
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M Rodgers
You want info? Here goes:
Company Information:
Company Name: LAVAN HOTEL CORPORATION
Address: 30 E 42ND ST, NEW YORK NY 10017-6908
Corporation Filings:
Company Name: LAVAN HOTEL CORPORATION
Charter Number: 473854
Status:
Filing Date: 08/17/1979
Terms: Perpetual
Type: MERGER NON-SURVIVOR
Registered Agent:
Last Seen: 08/17/1979
Current Entity Name: LAVAN HOTEL CORPORATION
Initial DOS Filing Date: FEBRUARY 24, 1978
County: NEW YORK
Jurisdiction: NEW YORK
Entity Type: DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION
Current Entity Status: INACTIVE
Selected Entity Address Information
DOS Process (Address to which DOS will mail process if accepted on behalf of the entity)
LESLIE N KONIGES
30 EAST 42ND ST
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10017
Registered Agent
NONE
Selected Entity Name: ALPHONSE HOTEL CORPORATION
Selected Entity Status Information
Current Entity Name:
ALPHONSE HOTEL CORPORATION
Initial DOS Filing Date:
AUGUST 18, 1977
County:
NEW YORK
Jurisdiction:
NEW YORK
Entity Type:
DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION
Current Entity Status:
ACTIVE
Selected Entity Address Information
DOS Process (Address to which DOS will mail process if accepted on behalf of the entity)
ALPHONSE HOTEL CORPORATION
250 W 43RD ST
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10036
Chairman or Chief Executive Officer
TRUONG D TRAN
250 WEST 43RD STREET
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10036
Principal Executive Office
HOTEL CARTER
250 WEST 43RD STREET
NEW YORK, NEW YORK, 10036
Registered Agent
NONE
Selected Entity Name: LAFAYETTE HOTEL COMPANY
Selected Entity Status Information
Current Entity Name:
YATES HOLDING CORPORATION
Initial DOS Filing Date:
JULY 23, 1903
County:
ERIE
Jurisdiction:
NEW YORK
Entity Type:
DOMESTIC BUSINESS CORPORATION
Current Entity Status:
INACTIVE
Selected Entity Address Information
DOS Process (Address to which DOS will mail process if accepted on behalf of the entity)
YATES HOLDING CORPORATION
14 LAFAYETTE SQ.
2004 RAND BLDG.
BUFFALO, NEW YORK, 14203
Registered Agent
NONE
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Andrea
I live at the Holling Place apartments and I love them! I would recommend getting an apartment down here in the future.
The city still doesn't feel too safe down here because of Hotel Lafayette. That is where most of the sex offenders live after getting out of jail. They have curfews, but its still kinda scary seeing them when your walking around.
I think its a great idea to convert the hotel into apartments, but where will those once sex offenders go?
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Debbie
I'm an interior design student looking for a thesis topic and wanting to do the Lafayette Hotel, I would apprreciate if anyone could give me links or good sources for the research end of this project. And I love hearing all of your suggestions on what you would want to see happen to the building. I appreciate it thanks
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