I remember coming back to Buffalo in early 1990’s to find five to six houses on each block of Ashland, Norwood and Richmond for sale. This depressing reality was characteristic of both sides of the street. I looked around, not only on these streets but on other streets of the city and could not find a single rehab. Since I changed my status as ex-pat to re-pat in the fall of 2014, I have found numerous rehabs of houses and buildings all over Buffalo. In the coming weeks, I will contribute articles displaying rehabs from all sections of the city. This article will offer a sampling so to speak.
Early this year, Ellicott Development announced that it would be rehabbing one of its properties at 66 Best Street (lead image), the new edge of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus (BNMC), into a new medical office building for a chiropractor. I write “the new edge of the BNMC” because the BNMC had just purchased the Osmose Wood Campus across the street from this building for future work and expansion at the beginning of the month. Work on the building at the corner of Best and Ellicott has been going on since early June with both sides and the rear of the building experiencing exterior changes while interior is taking place. I’m waiting for the grey cinder block front to have its exterior changes soon.
429 Franklin Street (above) was a home designed by Louise Bethune in 1891 for the Stockton family. Over the course of time, it has been a single family home and a rooming house. The house has seen fits and starts of rehab work before being purchased last summer by Ahuja Development LLC. It is currently being rehabbed into apartments. Rumor has it that years ago, when the building went to public auction, a neighboring restaurant bought it for teardown/parking. Thankfully that plan was quelled.
Another interesting rehab in progress is at 110 Genesee Street (below – before and during renovation). This building is owned by Christopher Juliano. Since being de-boarded in January of 2014, work has progressed from apartment conversions on the top floors to very recent work on the street level.
No one, including the staff at Marble + Rye next store, seems to know what is going in the space but it certainly looks commercial.
Many have been anticipating the start of conversion work at the former American Household Moving & Storage Warehouse at 1665 Main St just north of Michigan into the Mid-Town Apartments (see below). Nick Sinatra’s project has started with crews inside opening up long sealed windows, removing asbestos and other preparation work for several weeks.
Several years ago BRO contributor Steel wrote an article about some houses/buildings on Laurel Street in the Cold Springs area of the city. One of those that he wrote about was 53 Laurel. That quadraplex (below – right) has had rehab work done on it slowly over the last 4 years. As you can tell from the recent photo that I took in June, those redeveloping the building have been shopping for new doors at Home Depot!