The long anticipated French restaurant, Raclettes,will officially open its doors to the public this Monday, March 21st. I had the pleasure of attending a soft-opening during lunch time yesterday at their location at 537 Main Street, across from the Buffalo Hyatt. As we walked through the doors, my lunch mates and I were eagerly greeted by proud proprietor Sandra Wilkens who seated us at one of the wooden tables, hand-made by her husband and co-owner Paul Wilkens. This was a soft-opening so there were only a few occupied tables, but it was easy to imagine what the place will be…
Author: Holly Metz Doyle
The next commercial tenant at 500 Seneca is one that building residents have been anticipating for some time now. When I interviewed Althea Luehrsen, one of the first residents to occupy the building, a couple months ago (see here), she said that one of the things she loved about living at 500 was the vibrancy of the building accentuated by the array of tenants within. She also mentioned that she was very much looking forward to the arrival of a “spa” that she had heard was soon to come. Well Althea, your life at 500 Seneca is about to get even…
Unbeknownst to many, at 700 Main Street, in one of Buffalo’s architectural gems, sits an artists’ Mecca of sorts. Formerly known as the Byers Building, the EMI Building’s six floors are occupied by budding and established artists, musicians, and dancers. Owner Harold Kopp has a long history with the building. His family purchased it in 1978 as manufacturers of fine jewelry who were in the business since the 1920’s. Kopp says, “Some of the best jewelry craftsmanship in the world came from Buffalo. At one time, Buffalo was the largest manufacturer of rings in the world.” In 1998 Kopp purchased…
Last month, 23 people died over an 11-day period from opioid overdoses in Western New York. Last night, politicians, medical professionals, and concerned citizens came together at a public town hall meeting at a packed North Park Theatre in North Buffalo to discuss the epidemic of heroin and opioid addiction in our community. Acting District Attorney Michael Flaherty, Jr. states, “During the past few years, we have witnessed a disturbing rise in opioid addiction and overdose deaths. Unfortunately, this plight knows no borders.” The event was hosted by Save the Michaels of the World, Inc., an organization founded by Avi…
In January of 1972 the Garvey family of Buffalo lost their 13-year old son, Kevin, to his 18-month fight against leukemia. As a tribute to Kevin, the Garveys opened America’s first healthcare hospitality house, the Kevin Guest House at 782 Ellicott Street, paving the way for more than 600 similar houses across the country and around the world. For 43 years now Kevin Guest House has been a safe and supportive home away from home for patients and families traveling to receive state of the art healthcare and treatment in Buffalo area hospitals and medical centers. Since its inception, three…
The Fairmont Creamery Company building is one of those structures in Buffalo that could easily have had a tragic end, but thanks to the Paladinos and Ellicott Development, the commanding building has been restored to a new glory. Its eight stories welcome you downtown as you drive along the 190, in some way announcing the renaissance of the city that is upon us. The 120,000 square foot edifice was originally built in 1920 as a cold storage facility for the Fairmont Creamery Company. Ellicott Development purchased the building in 2001 and the $14.6 million renovation included a new roof, new…
My recent visit to the Tri-Main Center at 2495 Main Street was not my first. Over the years I have been there for a variety of reasons, and each time I am impressed with the number of businesses that operate within, and the amount of creativity that exudes throughout the 600,000 square foot complex. Walking through the six floors is a delight to the senses, from the smells of Landies Candies (and the tastes of their ample samples) to the sights of paintings and various mediums by an array of eclectic artists, not to mention the sounds of machines whirling through…
Frank Chinnici of Legacy Development is moving forward with his plans for a three parcel property redevelopment at 810 Main Street. According to Chinnici, they are in the initial stages of planning, pending approval by the City Planning Board and the Preservation Board. Their preliminary designs are subject to feedback from the Preservation Board, but at this point the three parcels are to be developed as follows: Parcel one is located at 810 Main Street. The historic renovation of the four-story, 42,000 square foot building in Allentown will consist of commercial space on the first floor and residential apartments on…
“We don’t know what’s next exactly, but we can promise it won’t be boring.” The words of David Bowie, and the thought perhaps of many of Buffalo’s developers, but to one in particular, a subconscious mission statement. Giles Kavanagh grew up outside of New York City in Larchmont, New York. He had watched NYC neighborhoods grow, and his friends’ investments in them prove to be profitable and wise. He recognized similar opportunities in Buffalo, and in 2002 relocated to Western New York. His purchase of a house on Tracy Street in 2004 was his first dip in the investment pool…
I met with Buffalo attorney Tom Eoannou a couple weeks ago in his law offices located in the old Cornell Mansion on Delaware Avenue. His passion and devotion for bringing life back to the old bones of Buffalo’s grand architecture was evident as he proudly walked me through his building and explained the improvements he has made to the space with an exceptional attention to detail. It was not about this building though, that I met him. Among the other ventures he is involved with throughout the city, sits an unassuming building on Amherst Street in the heart of the neighborhood of…