Prep Work That Will Lead To More Prep Work
While scoping out walls for the mural project, muralist Jeffrey Vincent and I could not help but scope out the vacant Howards Shoes building. The property is now under the care of Iskalo Development, and as we looked around we both noticed that there were signs of life at the site (corner Washington and Sycamore streets).
I called Eric Eisenried at Iskalo who told me that there was work underway to fix up the storefront. He notified me that the initial phase of getting the commercial property back up and running was to take care of the ‘problems’ that had befallen the building in past years. “We’re refinishing the terracotta tiles and getting it into showing mode,” he told me. “The place is need of a lot of TLC at this moment, but the potential is there. You should see the inside of the building… it’s about 4300 sq.’ and there’s terrazzo flooring (see interior). There are also neat aquatic themed murals. The interior lends itself well as a future restaurant location. Before it was Howard’s Shoes it was a café called Waldorf Restaurant. You can still see some of the old red apple logo… you can also see where the kitchen was set. Down the road this will be a great addition to this part of Buffalo”
The former restaurant reminds me of an Edward Hopper painting. Every time I look at that corner I can just envision customers sitting at a long diner counter… on barstools of course. Eric told me that although parking is an issue, the parking surrounding the recently restored Electric Tower (another Iskalo project) will most likely alleviate that concern. When the time is right, the search will be on for an eatery in this location. If you know of someone that is looking for a sweet restaurant space downtown, make sure that they get connected with Eric.
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sbrof
They did a fantastic job renovating the Electric Tower... I have faith they will do a great job here as well. Anyone who hasn't been into the new Electric Tower should stop it. The door man is polite and full of knowledge and the lobby has plenty of old / new images of the building. If you do go take notice of the Chrome light fixtures... über cool!
Good luck with this building hopefully once it is spruced up a bit there will be more interest in this part of downtown. Especially with the potential final happenings one block away on Genesee.
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Willie1
While Iskalo is a developer, is a developer, is a developer, need I say more, he has an excellent Architect on staff, unlike most developers. Several years ago, he raided one of the top firms and stole one of their best guys. It was a great move on his part. Most of the staff that work in house for developers are not the best & brightest. But, I believe his name is Paul Iskalo, has really hired one of the areas top guys. The electric tower does look great. I love the little Howard Shoe Store building. I can't wait to see it reborn to a new & dynamic use.
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Frankster
This is the best if not the only surviving use of terra cotta on a downtown retail store. I hope the owner appreciates what a little gem it is. I can't wait to see some life in it!
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Denizen
This is probably the coolest dormant spot downtown. I have faith in this space. One the Genny block gets fixed up there will be renewed interest in this entire corner of downtown. I'd love to see a diner or low-key cafe in this space.
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sbrof
well just a couple buildings away is being redone into residential units, Rocco's plans for the southern end of the block and I think the taller 7 story buildings is being converted as well. This area is prime to be one of the first real residential clusters in downtown. Once those units are in.. i guarantee something of a small diner would make a ton of sense.
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