Building Rehab Expands Larkin District
A Buffalo-based architecture firm is moving to the Larkin District, rehabbing a 19th century building in the process. Chaintreuil, Jensen, Stark Architects expects to spend $1 million renovating a historic property at 755 Seneca Street located just one block from the Larkin at Exchange office complex. The building was purchased in January for $115,000.
CityView Properties raised eyebrows in 2002 when the developer purchased the mammoth circa-1912 Larkin Co. warehouse on Exchange Streets after being vacated by Graphic Controls. Over the next two years, the developer spent over $30 million transforming the 10-story, 600,000 sq.ft. building into a multi-tenant office facility. Today that investment has paid off as over 1800 employees are now working in the building.
CityView has been busy buying properties in the Seneca and Exchange street area and last June unveiled a vision for future new construction and renovation projects creating additional office, retail and residential space in the area.
Chaintreuil, Jensen, Stark is buying into the neighborhood’s potential. The firm, currently in leased space on South Park Avenue, expects to move into its new home in early 2009.
“We were looking to buy a building and wanted to find a location that would be good for the firm and good for the city,” says Robert Stark AIA, one of the company’s Principals. “At one time we had looked at leasing at the LCo building. When we bought, CityView called and welcomed us to the neighborhood. I consider it their neighborhood. They have a big investment here.”
755 Seneca Street is a four-story brick and Medina sandstone building with approximately 13,000 sq.ft. of space. It was designed by architect F.W. Caulkins and was completed in 1878. The architect was featured in the Spring 2007 edition of WNY Heritage magazine.
Caulkins started working as an architect in Buffalo in 1875, founded his own firm in 1878 and moved to Minneapolis in 1882. Some of his notable local buildings include the Prospect Avenue Baptist Church, his own Queen Anne style stick home at 415 Franklin, houses as 51, 55 and 69 Symphony Circle, a renovation of the former Ticor Title building at Franklin and Eagle Streets now owned by Erie County, and a commercial building at 85 Genesee Street that crumbled during a wind storm while being renovated a few years ago.
At the time that 755 Seneca was designed, Louise Blanchard was employed as a drafting intern at Caulkins’ firm. A short time later and married, Louise Blanchard Bethune became the first American woman known to work as a professional architect.
755 Seneca was a rooming house with ground floor retail, apartments on the second and third floors and fourth floor attic space. In the recent past, there was a pharmacy on the ground floor and a medical office on the second. The building has been vacant for over ten years according to Stark.
Founded in 1972, Chaintreuil, Jensen, Stark Architects has a reputation as a regional design leader creating innovative award winning architecture. The architecture, planning and interior design company has offices in Rochester, Buffalo and Boca Raton.
Current local projects include the townhomes at Waterfront Place, a new Buffalo Fire Department station on Bailey Avenue near Genesee Street, renovations at School 43, and restoration of the Greycliff Estate. In Rochester, the firm is working on expansion projects at the Strong Museum and Eastman Theater.
Chaintreuil, Jensen, Stark’s ten employees will occupy the top floor and possibly half of the third. The firm is currently talking to potential tenants interested in leasing office space in the building. Floors are approximately 3,000 sq.ft. each.
Renovations are expected to begin in coming weeks. Buffalo ReUse is presently salvaging woodwork, doors and molding from the former apartments.
Due to its poor condition, the rear porches will be removed and will possibly be replaced with a steel structure of similar proportions.
“We will be adding contemporary elements but will be respecting the building's true character,” says Stark. “It will be a LEED-certified building and an advertisement for our firm.”
Adds Stark, “Owning will be new to us. It is going to be a challenge but we’re very excited about the building.”
Get connected: Chaintreuil, Jensen, Stark, 716.856.6448
Photos by Charles Ameno. Aerial from Windows Live Local.
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SteveP
These are the kinds of projects that save Buffalo. Its good to see other areas besides downtown being revitalized.
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flyguy
Cool story. Nice to see.
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PaulBuffalo
I just read the Buffalo News article on the same topic. It's sad that the city's only major newspaper cannot cover the same story as well as BuffaloRising. Thank you for the additional details and photos.
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Biniszkiewicz
Nice article. More detail than the News. Nice to know the architectural story.
One feature of this building is that it stands out like a billboard to those inside the LCo building. Go to the upper floor elevator areas of LCo and look north. All of these older Seneca Street properties lay out in front of you. You have a bird's eye view. They all look bad now, too. But as soon as this building is rehabbed, it will shine like a gem to all those office employees at LCo. Not a bad way to get your architectural firm noticed by a lot of people.
When you look out the windows it also becomes obvious why City View has taken an interest in rehabbing the nearby neighborhood: the Seneca Street small turn of the century commercial buildings look so down and out that you feel you're in an isolated oasis of rehab amidst a sea of grinding decay. Yet just behind these old brick storefronts lies a neighborhood with many new homes and decently cared for properties. These Seneca Street rehabs will have a nice positive impact on the area. What a pleasure to watch a neighborhood turn around. Thanks to all involved.
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Biniszkiewicz
although too bad LCo viewers look at this building's backside. It's a pretty front. Still, even the back will look a lot better.
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gaustad
Buffalo needs to extend the light rail down to Larkin distrcit.....and into S Buffalo.
It would help bring more people to the core of the city. ;)
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jstraubinger
Where's NoNoNo on this complementary mention by the Buffalo news that Buffalo Rising often provides better local coverage than it does after all the crap that he unloaded on West Coast and Newell back at Xmas time?
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stephenjames716
great story
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STEEL
Whoa...Where did that parking garage come from?
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platt4
Hello Cannon Design? Are you paying attention?
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MJWorthington
ramp has been there a few years now
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MJWorthington
that ramp is actually pretty nicely located in the center of the block. It would be great to see any parking pushed toward the center of the block with hopefully in-fill along Seneca to create a contonous streetscape someday as this area matures.
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RaChaCha
I first got a look at this building last year on a Larkin District tour with Buffalo Tours tourmeister Marla, and it's been a favorite ever since - both for its history and fine facade and street presence. So I couldn't have been more delighted to find out last year that CJS would be rehabbing the building. They're not just great architects, but great people, as well, having assisted community groups and neighborhoods with many projects. The firm designed the Sagamore On East in My Fair City, one of the most exciting downtown new-build projects in recent years. Hats off to CJS for embarking on this great project - and also to CityView for their pioneering work in Larkin that's now paying off in attracting good neighbors.
On the well-deserved praise going to WCP and BRO for this coverage, may I heap on a bit more--? I don't know much about how the Buffalo News works, but I know that WCP has been following this development closely for months and doing his homework - and the quality of the coverage here speaks volumes about a high level of professionalism. Regular BRO readers are well-informed and highly connected into the community - WCP shows us the ultimate respect by providing us with the level of detail and background we're looking for. Thank you!
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RaChaCha
Quick clarification: I heard about this project last year from one of the CJS partners, not from WCP - when I passed him the tip, I found out he was already on the case. Don't want anyone to think WCP is preferentially "leaking" :-)
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RisingDamp666
Great news for the area. All these little wins are really starting to add up. When housing comes in, Buffalo will have another redoubt from which to extend its rebirth further out.
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chris69
It really seems BIZARRE that the CRTC would even propose a cobblestone loop accumulating $10,000 for a study proposal along south park and perry when the obvious near term growth is in downtown, ECC downtown campus, the Larkin District and the Central Terminal. A light rail extension to the Larkin District would be roughly 1.2 to 2 miles while an extension to the Central Terminal would be what another 1mile.
The Airport is approaching 6 million visitors, the Galleria has announced growth, the Central Terminal is redeveloping, the Larkin District is expanding and ECC downtown campus has proposal after proposal for new buildings and residences waiting. It just seems BIZARRE that the CRTC would prefer a loop in the cobblestone district to nowhere rather than bring downtown and the Larkin District 2-3 miles (almost 50%) closer to the airport!
Yea...how awful would it be for the eastside to have the potential of 6 million visitors staying in downtown hotels or 6 million shoppers having convenient access to both the Galleria and all of the proposed downtown retail. Why all those people having such easy acces would ruin downtown, ECC, the Larkin District, the Central Terminal etc with increasing property values and growth. Oh how terribly typical of Buffalo!
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hamp
Preservation works. More, more, more.
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Brette
Whoa! looks like this here town got hit by the Lone Star bandit, pardner! Saw a couple of positive/thoughful comments get ONE STAR ratings today. For what purpose?? Some kinda feud goin on here y'all? Nonsense like that has had me confused about the ratings since day 1. JStraubinger, NoNoNo seems to be GoneGoneGone, could this rating oddness be a sign his spirit still lurks about??
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sbrof
people like to give positive or non-american dream conformist ideas a single star rating... I gave up caring a long time ago.
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mybuffalo
the buffalo news is a news paper this is a web site, they have infinite space while the buffalo news only has a certain number of words they can give to a story, which is nice, but not all that huge. $1 million is a great renovation but it is far from worth front page hype. give it up with the hate of the buffalo news, it is too easy
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zicktom
I just heard about the renovation of 755 Seneca Street. This is very exciting for me as my cousins, the Irvin's, used to live in that building, and I lived across the street over my father's tavern, Big Joe Dudzick's. Anyone out there ever see my play "Over the Tavern" ? It was based on my childhood in that neighborhood. I am so thrilled that the old place will be making a comeback.
Tom Dudzick
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zicktom
I just heard about the renovation of 755 Seneca Street. This is very exciting for me as my cousins, the Irvin's, used to live in that building, and I lived across the street over my father's tavern, Big Joe Dudzick's. Anyone out there ever see my play "Over the Tavern" ? It was based on my childhood in that neighborhood. I am so thrilled that the old place will be making a comeback.
Tom Dudzick
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FWgrand
This is very exciting for me as I am a grandchild of F.W. Caulkins and thanks to a wonderful lady of your city I was notified of this article. I hope to see what happens with all this and am particularly happy to get the picture as well as the background. My best wishes on its success.
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FWgrand
This is very exciting for me as I am a grandchild of F.W. Caulkins and thanks to a wonderful lady of your city I was notified of this article. I hope to see what happens with all this and am particularly happy to get the picture as well as the background. My best wishes on its success.
Report this