Trettel Takes on Illinois

Trettel Takes on Illinois

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A Cobblestone District commercial building has a new owner. J. Roger Trettel’s 1876 Buehl Block LLC purchased the two-story brick building at 49 Illinois Street last Monday. Roger has two property renovations under his belt downtown- the Buehl Block and adjacent 285 Ellicott Street. Plans for the property located behind HSBC Arena and Buffalo Rising’s offices are not set but Trettel reportedly is not likely to convert the 8,888 sq.ft. property to residential use.

Trettel undertook a meticulous $1 million+ renovation to the Buehl Block Building, a circa-1875 structure located at the corner of Broadway and Ellicott Street. The four-story brick and mansard roofed structure contains five two and three-bedroom loft apartments and ground floor retail/office space. The two-story Stanford Building adjacent to Buehl at 285 Ellicott has been converted to loft-style office space.

DSC_0079b.JPG Buehl Block, Broadway @ Ellicott

In August 2007, Trettel purchased the beautiful, four-story, skylight-topped Charlie Baker Building at 99-101 Genesee Street from longtime owner Williard Genrich. Trettel was planning to convert the properties into a mix of commercial and residential space. He later sold the properties to CityView Properties and the Wendt Foundation which purchased the balance of the block from Genrich. Restoration of the long-vacant block is expected to begin within 60 days.

The 'small' projects are incrementally making a 'big' difference. Welcome to Cobblestone Roger.

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What Others Have To Say

  1. BuffaloSoldier

    1 ratings12345
    Apr 19th 2008, 09:13

    Very nice Roger! It's amazing how the grassroots, small-scale projects ultimately go the distance in revitalizing an area. At little public expense too. If only our elected leaders realized this.

    I was always impressed with the unique collection of buildings behind the HSBC Arena parking ramp. What great conversions they would make. Great to see that it is happening. Now if we could only push for infill development in the many parking lots that scorch that area.

  2. thinkBuffalo

    0 ratings12345
    Apr 19th 2008, 09:55

    wcp - any idea how much did this building sold for? thanks.

  3. completelyoverplayed

    3 ratings12345
    Apr 19th 2008, 10:08

    Not an article about career opportunities for young people in Buffalo

  4. xosder

    0 ratings12345
    Apr 19th 2008, 10:47

    Completelyoverplayed...we got the point...what are your credentials?

  5. Wellington

    1 ratings12345
    Apr 19th 2008, 11:20

    Does anyone know how to get in touch with Roger or any other people like him who renovate these old buildings into residential use. I have noticed that quite few of the new lofts popping up are up to date style wise, but are still being wired poorly for broadband internet access, HDTV, satellite, etc. I would think the target market for these kind of units would expect that kind of capability.

  6. Einstein

    2 ratings12345
    Apr 19th 2008, 11:25

    Completelyoverplayed - Let me guess, you are graduating in May and are anxious about the job market. That is understandable, there are plenty of jobs available in Buffalo if you have the right skills, education and/or experience. I have three openings that I cannot fill because I can't find anyone who is qualified, has experience, or is willing to work the 45 hours a week it takes to get the job done. Quite honestly, the current group of college graduates are among the most over-entitled / whiny / needy, and self-centered group of candidates that I have ever interviewed. Many want to earn $60,000 with benefits and perks out of the gate yet many aren't willing to work for it. I had one candidate tell me about how much she hates working for large corporations but was willing to make that sacrifice if the money was good. I ended the interview there.

  7. plenish1

    0 ratings12345
    Apr 19th 2008, 12:32

    Einstein, what type of positions are you trying to fill and what does your business do?

  8. Andrew

    1 ratings12345
    Apr 19th 2008, 14:13

    I think they did great work on the Buehl. I hope they can do the same here. I think the cobble stone district is so under rated and has the potential to be the brooklyn of buffalo. it could be the new hip and trendy place to live if we get a few more residental developments. i think people will come.

  9. Joshua

    0 ratings12345
    Apr 19th 2008, 22:19

    There is a lot of potential in the Cobblestone District that has not been tapped into yet. This is a step in the right direction. Let's see something happen here.

  10. MasterofUrbanPlanning

    0 ratings12345
    Apr 20th 2008, 13:01

    Is it true west coast, that you don't live in Buffalo? Anyway, J. Roger Trettel’s work is commendable. I view this man as an old school contractor, buy it, fix it, sell it. And I congradulate him on his timing. Buffalo has sections of town that are moving, and I envy his capacity to see that, SEE it, then finance the proposition. Congrates JR !! The work across from the library is fine to say the least. I would like to have this guys credit line in my residential work, I could save 20 doubles. JK

  11. mybuffalo

    0 ratings12345
    Apr 20th 2008, 20:11

    yea the buildings behind that parking ramp remind me of outside yankee stadium filled with bars and stuff, i can't belive hsbc arena has been up for 10 yeras and nothing has come about around the place.. hopefully finally the tide is turning

  12. oldimpala

    1 ratings12345
    Apr 21st 2008, 09:34

    Completelyoverplayed-

    Funny; I consider myself young. Have a job. Have gotten numerous offers, all with strong compensation packages, since moving here. And have found jobs for friends; and migrated them to Buffalo. One thing that makes the city more attractive to businesses/people is a town which doesn't look like Hiroshima ca. 1946. It's a lot nicer taking my friends on an inaugural tour of the city, and seeing cranes, construction, people, and nice buildings instead of blight... Get a marketable skill, or a desired degree, and you can find solid employment in the Buff.

    So, on that note... Fantastic! And keep the development info coming. I love the area around the arena; and am glad that 10+ years later, and through no direct act of the huge arena, the area's turning...

    And, besides, the construction jobs created by the rehab couldn't be filled by young people, right? :)

    -Andy

  13. knubb2

    1 ratings12345
    Apr 23rd 2008, 20:05

    Einstein - I am SOOOOO in the same boat as you, I have 2 programming positions to fill, and am willing to go with the mid-higher rates, but some of the expectations are overinflated and unbelievable! Maybe if we were in Silicon Vally I could plunk down 75k for a 25yr old hotshot programmer, but this isn't the market for that.

    When I first got into the industry, someone told me that in order to earn $XX amount of money I should expect to work 50+ hours a week.... first I scoffed, then I learned ;)

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