CannonDesign has found a downtown home for its relocated headquarters. Business First is reporting that the company will be relocating its 200 employees from Grand Island to 40-50 Fountain Plaza. The firm is taking 35,000 sq.ft. of space on the complex’s mezzanine level.
Cannon had been looking at downtown options for some time. Many had speculated it would be the anchor tenant at Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation’s 201 Ellicott project when it was first unveiled with a mix of retail, residential, parking and office components. CannonDesign was the architect for the project. It was subsequently redesigned with the parking and office space nixed.
The Cannon/Ciminelli relationship endures as Cannon is working on the 201 Ellicott redesign and Ciminelli Real Estate manages the 40-50 Fountain Plaza complex. CannonDesign will also be a neighbor to Ciminelli as its corporate offices occupy the fourth and fifth floors.
Renovations to the first floor lobby and public spaces at 40-50 Fountain Plaza are underway. Built in 1989, the towers contain 435,384 sq.ft. of space. They were developed by Toronto-based Citicom Inc. and designed by the Toronto firm of Brisbin Brook Beynon.
New York State’s Fort Schuyler Management Corporation purchased the upper floors of 50 Fountain Plaza, the south tower, in 2015 from Key Success LLC for $9,544,500. The 100,000 sq.ft. of tower space was previously occupied by Delaware North and is now occupied by IBM. In 2017, Paul Ciminelli, President and CEO of Ciminelli Real Estate Corporation, acquired majority interest in the remainder of the complex.
In addition to the Ciminelli Real Estate and future CannonDesign headquarters, major tenants of 40-50 Fountain Plaza include Lippes Mathias Wexler Friedman, Nixon Peabody, Mower, Harter Secrest & Emery LLP, Regus, and Merrill Lynch. Earlier this month, The Yield Book leased the sixth floor of 40 Fountain Plaza.