Research and 'More' in the Medical Campus
Scientists are not the only ones doing research in the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. There’s a lot of studying going on too. By developers. Yet another building is coming down while a developer “studies options” for the site. Co-owners Ciminelli Development and Kaleida Health are seeking City approval to demolish a 13-story medical office building at 50 High Street.
Across the street, Evergreen Real Estate Properties is also studying options for their shovel-ready site at 23 High Street. Astute readers will recall that the firm demolished the 13-story former German American Brewing Co. building in anticipation of building a new home for Aids Community Services. Those plans fell apart after anticipated funding never materialized and the non-profit agency decided to expand at its current facility on S. Elmwood Avenue. Evergreen, a partnership headed by developer Michael Joseph of Clover Management, is said to be considering various uses for the site.
There won’t be many tears shed over the loss of 50 High Street from a design perspective. The circa-1965 building has been vacant for approximately ten years as reuse plans have come and gone for the property. Ciminelli and Kaleida Health will use the site for parking until a development plan is formulated. Paul Ciminelli told Business First that the company is “considering a number of concepts and options depending on talks with a number of different, prospective tenants.”
This isn’t the first time Ciminelli has talked about project in the medical campus, or the second, or third for that matter. In 1990, Ciminelli was working with Dr. Edward Simmons to construct an office building at the corner of East North and Ellicott streets behind the Anchor Bar. Originally anticipated as a five-story building with 70,000 sq.ft., the plan was chopped in half to 31,000 sq.ft. on two floors and eventually scrapped. The site was later developed by the Buffalo Hearing and Speech Center.
The developer later teamed up with Hart Hotels to propose a mixed-use project for the medical campus in 1991. Plans called for a 75 to 100 room hotel, retail space and 100,000 sq.ft. of office space. The proposal never left the drawing board, though a medical inn was constructed at 100 High Street by another developer.
Ciminelli has been working with Kaleida to redevelop the 50 High Street site since 1993. A proposal for a new seven-story building housing offices, retail and medical space was floated in the mid-1990’s. Those plans were later reduced to 100,000 to 120,000 sq.ft. of office space in a five-story building. 50 High remains standing.
Kaleida has named Ciminelli preferred developer for the properties stretching along the north side of High Street between Ellicott and Main streets. Keep your fingers crossed that a viable plan emerges for this strategic site.
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Comment Options
Medina_Sandstone
Gee, what a surprise, more surface parking. Why is that always the highest, best, and most irreversible use of downtown land? The existing building is no prize but it's better than an expanding dead asphalt zone within the medical campus.
There are two responses to the parking situation: expand supply infinitely, or reduce demand. Funny, how we've decided we're obligated to expand supply infinitely and never consider reducing demand--by charging market rate for parking, by subsidizing bus passes for employees, by installing rentable bike lockers, by offering employees incentives for buying homes within walking distance, as Canisius College does.
Pitiful.
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scooter
I don't believe the reason to raze these building's is for more parking. (God willing)
I believe it's to make shovel ready sites or new buildings for the soon to be demand of office and research space.
BR and others have reported on a handful of new medical firms that will be locating within this area. (Buffsnooze reported on one this AM)
This area has improved greatly within the past few years. I can't wait to see it in another few years when several new businesses move in and the artists lofts open up.
If you haven't tried it....go down to that part of Main St. and eat at Steel Drums. Great place to eat.
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Andrew
why on earth would you tear this down before you have a plan ready? whats going to happen is this thing is going to be torn down, a parking lot put in its place, and then the plan will be canceled. I would rather see a building than a parking lot. develop a concrete plan before you tear anything down.
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sbrof
Exactly this is ridiculous, they tore down a large and beautiful brewery building for a shovel ready site, and as the article said.. it is still shovel ready.. Why do we need to create more vacant land without any actual plans for development.
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knowledgedableone
Let us not forget that money(investment) travels along the path of least resistance, remediation is expensive, demolition is expensive, redeveloping sites that have an interim use as a surface parking lot is significantly less.
A long vacant asbestos laden design building surrounded by surface parking lots (see picture above) being demolished for an interim use as a surface parking lot on a 100 acre campus home to 8,000 employees and experiencing over 800,000 annual patient visits seems like a wise move to facilitate future development.
The pace of development never advances at the pace we would all like to see, but laying the groundwork to facilitate the process (demoing an asbestos laden, historically insignificant building to lessen the burden of future developmental interests) makes sense from the perspective of advancing the development process.
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flyguy
Perhaps we should not grant approval of demolition unless we have concrete plans before our eyes for a replacement. I dont like the idea of demolition with the hopes that something might come along either. The developers should show us what the plans are not demolish and ask questions later. A drive down Huron Street downtown is a great example of this near the Hyatt Regency. My god there is so many surface lots over there its sick and all I see are signs that one of them is a prime development site. i realize it was the site of the beat up convention center ramp and its probably good it is gone but I fear we become complacent with letting the land sit idle as yet another surface lot. Those lots over there should be developing and yet sit there near the Chippewa Strip and the Hyatt and all the new developments at New Era Cap and the hopeful development of the Buffalo Tower. Yes I think it should be demolish contingent you show me something. We're talking downtown here and that includes the medical campus. Surface parking is not an alternative and neither are one or two story squat buildings.
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300miles
I could have sworn the city implemented a new policy that prevented demolition sites from being used as parking lots, even temporarily. Was that policy never approved or something? Or was it only for downtown?
But anyway, the demo of 50 High will create a Giant site when looking at that huge parking lot around it. Hopefully a good plan will be created and remove much of that surface parking.
But I agree, the plan should come first. THEN demolish.
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MJWorthington
It already looks like most of that block is shovel ready. =)
I agree with letting them demo for "shovel ready", but they should not be allowed to pave it over. That is not "shovel" ready. Force them to find a use for thier land instead of getting complacent with the parking revenues. Looks like there are some available spaces in the ramp.
I agree 50 High is better replaced (situated ON the corner!) But plant some grass there until you replace it. Parking lots should be taxed as much as, or more than buildings with credits given for ramps and hidden parking.
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Jefferson
When I see a photo like this I can't help but wonder if the people who lament the lack of parking in Buffalo are really serious. Let's face it, it's all about $$$. The owner of a vacant buidling, especially one of this size, still is required to pay insurance and property tax based on its assessed value (stucture plus land). So, by demolishing it, the owner can cancel the insurance policy and ask for a reassessment of the property. Less $$ out. In the meantime the developer will think of future development. Sounds good in the news. Sort of like Pano's demolition of the Atwater House for an "expansion" (e.g., parking lot).
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Urbanica
To respectfully disagree with some posters on this topic, the demolition of this building is a positive. The building has been vacant for ages, is an architectural disaster not worth saving, and is obviously a liability for the owner.
When a development proposal comes along, the site will be ready. This building will obviously be demolished with any development plan, so lets rid the skyline of this Detroit-like vacant hi-rise now. I am not sure many will miss it.
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dpouse
that building dominates the view out my work window, and it's straight up uuugly. shameful. i'm not a civic planner or an architect, but i'll be happy to not see it anymore.
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RPreskop
I agree that the vacant 13 story medical building at 50 High Street is a dull, architecturally drab structure. This building is exactly like the deteriorated Kensington Towers housing project. It is horribly deteriorated to a point of no viable return, demolition and clearence is the only sensible answer. However, I am strongly opposed to demolition for another ugly asphalt surface parking lot. Buffalo has far too much of this horrible, wasteful land use. Lets start marketing this soon to be cleared site and get it redeveloped ASAP.
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Jas
Lets see, demo a building and use the space for more parking. PANO'S ANYONE ! ! ! ! ! !
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bghahn
Because the building will be demolished, there's no sense in arguing over whether or not it should or shouldn't be demolished. Instead, we ought to be planning for what to do with the site. The building was ugly anyways. How about an expansion of Buffalo General to accommodate relocating ECMCs operations, seeing as the two need to merge in the near future. It could be renamed the University at Buffalo Medical Center, to reflect the major role UB plays. It would be an enormous step forward for the medical campus.
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carlmalone1
You guys gotta calm down a little. Parking lot? Are you all serious? Shovelready and let's see the plans first? Neither developers nor legal practioners.
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david
While poking around last fall we noticed this - Kaleida me this! - just a few blocks away...
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Charger
The keep-your-aestheic-opinions-to-yourself crowd won't be happy with this comment, but I think what is at least as important as whether these buildings should be subject to speculative demolition is what process is in place to ensure that a really well designed building is eventually built. The BNMC has had two huge wins lately with the Hauptman-Woodward and Center of Excellence buildings, which are really well designed and potential destinations for architectural tourism. If the BNMC can maintain that level of design excellence for new builds it will be great. If, on the other hand, they allow another monstrosities like the buildings on Main between Carlton and Virginia they'll have missed a great opportunity to contribute to Buffalo's cultural richness.
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