483 Main Street has been spiffed up. Rebecca and Pete McCauley converted the building to residential and commercial space. They purchased the former Christian Science Reading Room, also known as the Hudson Building, in 2013 for $230,000. It sits between The Martin Group’s offices and Carmina Wood Morris’ building at the corner of Main and Mohawk streets.
There were not significant exterior changes to the property whose façade dates to 1928 and was designed by Hudson & Hudson (the firm also designed the similar façade of the nearby Berger’s Building). The owners worked with Preservation Studios to obtain state and federal historic preservation tax credits for the project. The outside has been cleaned and the masonry repointed as necessary. Windows were repaired and a roof deck is being added.
A two-bedroom residence occupies the third floor. The second floor will be either another residential unit, office space, or a live/work unit depending on tenant demand. A commercial space occupies the ground floor.
The McCauleys worked with Lehigh Construction on the project that was designed by Scheid Architectural. They have joined a trend of smaller investor/developers buying into downtown Buffalo particularly in and around the 500 block of Main Street.