This a great building, and in a great location for lofts, within walking distance to downtown, MetroRail, Kleinhans, etc. as well as all the amenities of Allentown and Elmwood. Best wishes, Scott and Kissling, with the project!

I'm betting this building was the Buffalo showroom/sales office of the Rochester-based National Casket Company, which in the late 1800's made 3/4 of the caskets in the nation, and shipped around the world. Talk about a recession-proof industry. Most of the U.S. presidents who checked out during that period did so in style in National's product. The factory in Rochester, at 142 Exchange Street, is still present as the Court/Exchange Building, now home to many law offices (insert joke here). That building was designed by arguably Rochester's most talented (but also most obscure) architect of the 19th Century, Harvey Ellis - who did some of his best work out of town (e.g. City Hall in St. Louis), revolutionized the practice of architectural perspective drawing, and late in life was a key figure in the Arts & Crafts movement.

Buffalonian Eli David Hofeller had Rochester connections, and at one point was a major sales representative for the casket company (before entering the concrete paving business - his Crescent symbol can still be found in Buffalo sidewalks), so may have been the manager of the Buffalo sales office - if that's what this building, as I think, was. If this project is receiving preservation tax credits, most likely someone has done the research on the building which could confirm - or refute - this.

by edge I didn't mean the physical boundary but the areas people not from Allentown (and even some who live there now) start to feel uncomfortable. Trinity Pl, Virginia & Tupper, Maryland & Malta. This project being just a couple blocks from some of these areas will help to secure and push that perception back a little farther. Remember the intersection of Virginia and Cottage before Betty's? Good luck getting people to walk around there. Now with one lite up and busy place the whole area 'looks and feels' nicer. This will be one more building with people, lights and a sense of securing on Virginia. Now it's time to push that straight down to Niagara.

bout time! Will bring more people and money into the edge area of Allentown which will really help to bring up values and future development of properties down Virginia and the west side.

That facade looks a little ridiculous... Couldn't they have come up with anything more congruent with the rest of the building?

I've always thought that single wall faux-stone facades look especially fake when you can clearly see (by looking at the corner) that it's only an inch or two thick.

Maybe it's just the illustration...

Just for the record, this building is not in "the edge area of Allentown." Allentown is bordered, roughly, by Edward/Trinity on the south, Main on the east, North on the north, and Symphony Circle on the west.

I can't believe that they're gonna leave that fake stone facade!

Get rid of the faux stone facade. Normally I like stone but it doesnt blend in on this building clearly.

PS. Please do a an update on the Pearce Arrow Complex conversion to student dorms.

I will ask, but I believe that stone base may be original to the building and being in a preservation district, needed to remain.

tell them to keep the window depth true as well. Why are they moving them so far out to the face of the building?

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Damn !! There goes my property assessment !!!

Ekuper, thank you for adding this. I was looking for an old article on the archive site and happened to spot your comment. I hope you will consider contacting Kissling (using the link in the article's second sentence) and sharing your information. Developers are in business, and need to make a return. That said, most developers who reuse old buildings get attached to the structures and want to know as much as possible about the history of the buildings and the people associated with them.

Best, RaChaCha