Restoration
Projects Underway Artspace
Buffalo
The $16.9 million project, Artspace's first in New York State,
will create 60 units of affordable live/work housing for artists and their families
- 36 units in the five-story historic Buffalo Electric Vehicle Company building
at 1219 Main Street, plus 24 units in six new fourplexes on vacant land immediately
behind it. In addition to the residential units, the project will create almost
10,000 square feet of commercial space on the street level will be leased to arts
organizations and arts-friendly businesses. Erie
Canal Harbor
Buffalo's position at the western end of the Erie Canal made
it the Gateway to the West -- the departure point for millions of immigrants on
their way to the American heartland and the catalyst for the city's rise to prominence
in the mid-19th century. Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal linked Buffalo with
Albany, creating a waterway between the Great Lakes and New York City and dramatically
transforming United States commerce, industry and immigration. The Erie Canal
Harbor project will redevelop approximately 12.5 waterfront acres into a contemporary
tourism destination that celebrates the site's historic significance as well as
establishes the area as a new maritime and entertainment center. Project
Architects: Parsons Brinckerhoff for waterside elements, and Flynn Battaglia Architects,
Mathews Nielsen Landscape Architects, John Milner Associates, and C&G Partners
for landside and interpretive elements
Project Completion: 2008
Darwin
D. Martin House
Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Martin House for his long
time friend and loyal patron Darwin D. Martin. The house is located on Jewett
Parkway and adjacent to Buffalo's Olmsted-designed Delaware Park. After Martin's
death the house was abandoned and suffered significant damage until 1992, when
the Martin House Restoration Corporation (MHRC) was formed to lead and oversee
the landmark's restoration. Also part of the Martin House complex is the Wright-
designed Gardener's Cottage, which MHRC acquired in 2006 to reunite the complete
Martin estate. Restoration
Architects: Hamilton, Houston & Lownie Architects
Project Completion:
2010
Original Construction Date: 1903-1905 Buffalo
and Erie County Botanical Gardens
Originally called the South Park Conservatory,
the Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens is one of two remaining “Crystal
Palaces” built by Lord & Burnham sited in a park designed by Frederick
Law Olmsted (the other is in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park). South Park was
created from 162 acres of farm land. The South Park Conservatory was included
to showcase tropical plant species while the rest of the park was designed to
feature more hardy temperate species, including an Arboretum, Pinetum, a Shrub
Garden and a Bog Garden. The Gardens are currently undergoing a $20 million restoration
based on the theme of “the Buffalo Meridian.” This theme presents
Buffalo as the terminus of an around-the-world tour that showcases the myriad
of climates and plant communities that share this longitudinal location Architect:
Lord and Burnham
Original Construction Date: 1898
Restoration: 1998-Present
Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building
One of the masterpieces of Louis
Sullivan, the Guaranty Building was one of the first skyscrapers in America. After
a fire in 1974, the building suffered significant damage, but with the help of
local civic leaders and preservationists around the country the building was saved.
In 2002 local law firm Hodgson Russ Inc., purchased the building to ensure its
continued preservation and to use as its principal Buffalo office. The building
is currently undergoing a $12 million dollar interior renovation. Architects:
Sullivan and Adler
Construction Date: 1895
Restoration Completion: 2008
Graycliff
Graycliff was the last built Wright commission in the Buffalo area and the
summer home for Darwin D. Martin, located on the shores of Lake Erie in Derby,
NY. Over the last several decades, the house suffered damage, much like the Martin
House. In 1999, the Graycliff Conservancy, Inc. acquired the home and is now responsible
for the restoration of the site, which is on New York State's National Register
of Historic Places. Restoration
Architects: Hamilton, Houston & Lownie Architects
Project Completion:
Late 2010
Original Construction Date: 1926-27 Michigan
Avenue Heritage Corridor
The Michigan Avenue Heritage Corridor is being
created to commemorate the African American experience in Buffalo and the role
the Underground Railroad, the Civil Rights Movement and America's Classical Music,
Jazz, played in shaping that experience. The Corridor links the Michigan Street
Baptist Church, one of the oldest properties in Buffalo continuously operated
by African Americans, and a sanctuary for hundreds of freedom seekers on their
way to Canada in the mid-1800s; the Colored Musicians Club, the heart and soul
of Buffalo's jazz community for more than 70 years; and the Nash House, the one
time home of the Reverend Jesse Edward Nash, longtime leader of Buffalo's Civil
Rights movement. The house will include a public museum and research and office
space. Project
Architects: Frank T. Brzezinski
Project Completion: TBD Recently
Completed Projects
Babevile
and Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center
In 2006, singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco's
successful independent music company - Righteous Babe Records opened its new headquarters
in the renovated Asbury Delaware church. In addition to RBR's business offices,
the former church will house a 1,200-capacity concert hall and smaller underground
club for live music performances. The complex will also include office and exhibition
spaces for Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center, which is renowned for its exhibitions
of contemporary art, film and video screenings, and presentations of live jazz,
new music, and performance. Renovation
Architect: Architectural Resources
Project Completion: January 2006
Original
Architect: John H. Selkirk
Original Construction Date: 1876
Olmsted's
Delaware Park
Three hundred and fifty acres in size, Buffalo's Delaware
Park is one of the most significant parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted -
one of America's greatest landscape architects. The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy
was formed to maintain, preserve and enhance Frederick Law Olmsted-designed parks
and parkways in Buffalo. The Park's restoration continues today. Project
Architects: Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux
Construction Date: 1868-1898
Restoration: Ongoing Roycroft
Inn
After an eight-year restoration process, the Roycroft Inn has returned
to its original state and is once again considered one of the most beautiful buildings
and interiors of the American Arts & Crafts movement. Situated in the heart
of the historic Roycroft community in East Aurora, NY, the Inn celebrated its
100th anniversary in 2005. Original
Construction Date: 1905
Restoration Completion: 1995 Shea's
Performing Arts Center
One of only four Tiffany-designed theatres still
in existence, Shea's began life in 1926 as a grand movie palace and served for
a time as a Vaudeville house before returning to its original use as a movie theater.
In the 1980s, it found new life as a home for touring Broadway productions. Shea's
is a member of the National Register of Historic Places and the League of Historic
American Theatres. The exterior restoration of this architectural landmark was
completed in 2004. The interior renovation is ongoing and is made possible by
volunteers and docents from the Buffalo region. Architect:
C.W. and George L. Rapp
Original Construction Date: 1926
Restoration
and Expansion: 1997 - Present.
Ongoing expansion: new marquee erected in
1995; major stage-house expansion completed in 1999; new blade sign erected in
2004. Roycroft
Campus
Vast expansion and restoration projects are currently underway for
the Roycroft Campus. Ten years after the $9 million dollar completion of the Roycroft
Inn, which attracts over 150,000 visitors per year, the Roycroft Campus Corporation
purchased the Copper Shop. The Copper Shop is the focal point of the Campus activities,
showcasing works from over fifty artisans. The Copper Shop features a restored
finishing room circa 1918 complete with interior cathedral ceiling and exterior
masonry block walls. The Power House, originally built in 1910 and acquired by
the Campus in 2005 will be rebuilt according to its original design including
the 20' base of the original chimney. The completed Power House will serve as
the visitor center, gift shop, classroom and special event center.
Restoration: 2005-Present Upcoming
Projects
Henry Hobson Richardson Complex
The city's landmark Henry Hobson Richardson
building, one of the nation's most historically significant structures, will receive
$76 million from the state for the first step in a major restoration plan leading
to the complex's ultimate reuse. Restoration
Architects: TBD
Project Completion: ?
Original Construction Date: 1870-1896
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