OLD GEMS, NEW LIFE
There’s nothing quite like the Calumet, a century-old building in downtown Buffalo that’s instantly recognizable by its glazed terra cotta exterior.
This is Art Nouveau at its best, and now it’s part of the historic restoration movement that’s sweeping Buffalo and elsewhere as building owners work to save older structures that have fallen on hard times.
“This has been one of my favorite projects,” says Angelo S. Natale of Natale Builders, a top commercial developer and custom homebuilder based in Clarence,New York. “There hasn’t been a dull day. There’s always something exciting, always something new.”
This 1906 building by Esenwein & Johnson Architects truly stands out with its three-story façade of cream and burnt sienna at the corner of West Chippewa and Franklin streets. Located in the city’s Entertainment District, it’s also the new home of a prominent Buffalo law firm, Kenney Shelton Liptak Nowak LLP.
“There’s a history here,” says Natale. “Buildings like this were built so well back in the late 1800s and early 1900s, we’re able to preserve their foundation rather than tear it down.”
On the ground floor you’ll find Bacchus, a restaurant and wine bar. On the secondand third floors is Class A office space that mixes old with new for something historically significant yet modernized to meet the law firm’s needs.
That was always the plan, says Natale, part of the ownership group that acquired the Calumet from previous owner Mark Goldman. The new owners wanted to celebrate its rich past but give it a rebirth of sorts. Elegant windows were restored rather than replaced; dirty brick interior walls were power washed; and 12-foot-high ceilings on the second floor and 15-foot ceilings on the third were left exposed as part of the new design plan.
The original wood floors, meanwhile, were another important element to be saved, says industry expert Mike Caroll. Years of wear and tear, not to mention water damage from a leaky roof, had left their mark. Still, in the dark, chocolate-stained planks he saw tongue-and-groove craftsmanship that had stood the test of time. His crews spent months refinishing the maple floors, salvaging what they could and patching other spots in an effort to return them to their original beauty.
“These floors were milled more than 100 years ago,” Caroll exclaims. “The wood was installed by craftsmen from that long ago, and we’re reusing it!”
The Calumet is the latest example of “building on the past” with reclaimed wood floors – a hot environmental trend and a
testament to the ending beauty and durability of hardwood.
Reuse and redevelopment is hot, hot, hot on the residential side, too. A prime example? The “Allentown Lofts” on Virginia Street in
downtown Buffalo. In a 1924 brick building that once stored caskets(!) are 10 sleek new apartments. They’re city living at its best,
with state-of-the-art interiors that generated a waiting list of tenants.
The developer, Kissling Interests LLC, calls it a signature building. The people who live there, meanwhile, call it a cool place to be.