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A few more unbuilt buildings, described in an article in the December 11, 1988.edition of the Buffalo Evening News. Sorry, no images.
(For what it's worth, the original plans for Marine Midland Center called for a second tower, 20 stories tall.)
Regarding the unbuilt at Main and Pearl (see post #44), the article says:
The Main/Swan proposal likely died when the second Fountain Plaza tower was built.
Also, from the Buffalo Evening News, April 7, 1989.
That project, a 17 story office building called Ellicott Place, faced NIMBY opposition from some city officials. BEN, July 1, 1989. The project site included a little-used pocket park, and for some reason, civic leaders wanted to save it.
The developer relented, and proposed moving the project. You know the rest, because this thread isn't titled "Built Buffalo"
There's also Seaport Plaza, and the revival of the concept for one or two more towers at the Marine Midland Center. BEN January 26 1994.
And a year later. BEN, February 4, 1990.
Ellicott Center Plaza was a victim of the early 1990s recession. The $30,000,000 (2020 $59,600,000) project, proposd by Cleveland-based North Coast Holding Corporation, was going to have four 6-story office buildings wrapped around a 6-floor parking ramp -- an early version of a liner building development. The site was the block bordered by Ellicott, Oak, Clinton, and Eagle streets.
| Main-Seneca Corner: Right now, the battered old Bank of Buffalo building sits on this site. But Frank Ciminelli of Ciminelli Development Corp. has an option to buy the property, and he has preliminary plans for a modern office building there. Get ready, then, for a battle between the preservationists, who want to save the Bank of Buffalo building as an architectural landmark, and the developers. That battle could go on for months or even longer, with Ciminelli fighting for Preservation Board and Common Council approval for his plans. Local real estate sources predict that sooner or later -- probably later -- the developers will win. And for two reasons. First, it would be nearly impossible to crowd a new office building on the tiny site behind the Bank of Buffalo building: Each floor would be so small that the building would scare away a lot of tenants. Second, if you tore that building down, the site would become large enough for a modern office building, and the best location available on Main Street. Like Court-Franklin, this site won't be vacant forever. |
| Court Street Tower: The developers of this project, Carl Paladino and Frank McGuire, might just as well call it the Location-Location-Location Building. Local real estate experts say that, with the Fountain Plaza site about to be occupied, the corner of Court and Franklin streets will become the best available site in the city for a new office building. After all, it's the only available site on Court Street, which is downtown's second Main Street. Paladino and McGuire apparently are looking at the federal government as the main tenant for their 13-story building. "We're looking to make proposals on a minimum of two federal tenancies," Paladino says. And one of them is a big one. Paladino acknowledges that the building could become the home for the new downtown Post Office, which also might be built on the site of the Waterfront Racquet & Fitness Center. Only one obstacle stands in Paladino's way. Clement Chen III, developer of the Buffalo Hilton, has proposed an 18-story building on the site, and he owns part of the land. But Chen has been battling the city, which has been trying to acquire the land by eminent domain. Either way, one thing is certain: Something will be built at Court and Franklin, and soon. It's too good a site to stand vacant. |
| Marine Midland Center II: The Sequel. Some people think the current Marine Midland Center, the 38-story Lego structure on the south end of Main Street, is an architectural horror show. But Marine is worried that the sequel will be even worse. Marine contends that a new nine-story building, proposed by center owner S. Jon Kreedman, would crowd its plaza. For that reason, the bank has exercised its lease provision allowing it to turn down plans for any new buildings on the site. For three years now, Marine has stood in the way of this project, and there's no reason to believe that the bank is about to change its opinion. That is, unless Marine and Kreedman can do some old-fashioned horse trading. "There's going to come a time when they want something approved," Kreedman says. For the record, Kreedman describes the new building as a miniature Marine Midland tower, with the exact same style of facade. So if you like the original, you'll love the sequel. |
| City Center. That's the name Corporex Cos. of Cincinnati gave to its proposal for a 20-story office and retail complex at the site of the Courtyard Mall at 478 Main St. Well, if that's the city center, then Buffalo's a doughnut. Real estate sources downtown say they doubt the Corporex project will ever come off hold. "I believe that particular idea is dead, but it is the place where the next major retail project should go," said Robert F. Stuart, manager of Main Place Mall. Paladino, who owns the adjacent Hen's & Kelly building, says he looked at the Courtyard Mall site himself, and decided it didn't make financial sense to pursue a project there. "I think their (Corporex's) idea is down the drain," he says. "From my perspective, it defied me how they would be able to afford the land costs and the demolition costs" along with construction for such a big project. Besides, why take on the added cost of demolition when you can build projects on vacant land? Ciminelli says Buffalo's commercial rents aren't high enough yet to justify doing that. He says they will be someday, but not now. Francis Saele, vice president of Corporex, says his company still is interested in developing the Courtyard Mall site. But he adds: "It's on hold, pending the signing of an anchor. It's largely a market-driven project." Translation: Corporex is going to wait and see what happens to Buffalo. Corporex would be happy to build Buffalo's City Center -- if the city's boomlet becomes a boom. |
(For what it's worth, the original plans for Marine Midland Center called for a second tower, 20 stories tall.)
Regarding the unbuilt at Main and Pearl (see post #44), the article says:
| That's not so for the second, 11-story tower planned for the (Fountain Plaza) site. Executives for Citicom Corp. of Toronto have said they'll hold off on building that structure until tenants are in place. With the Fountain Plaza project under way, Citicom also is holding off on its proposal for a 25-story building at Main and Swan streets. |
The Main/Swan proposal likely died when the second Fountain Plaza tower was built.
Also, from the Buffalo Evening News, April 7, 1989.
| A Philadelphia developer has approached City Hall about building a high-rise office building and an adjoining park on two blocks of land between Swan and North Division streets. The proposal, which was revealed Thursday during a Common Council meeting, is the latest to include a valuable piece of land at Washington and Swan streets. The block now contains several small businesses, including Pat McGinty's restaurant. Under the proposal, the developer, Oliver, Tyrone & Pulver Corp., would build an office building on part of Church Street Park between South and North Division streets. The proposal also calls for retail space and parkland on the adjacent Washington-Swan block. By including the Washington-Swan block, the proposal conflicts with at least three other proposals: one for underground parking, another for above-ground parking and a third for an athletic field house proposed by Erie Community College. |
That project, a 17 story office building called Ellicott Place, faced NIMBY opposition from some city officials. BEN, July 1, 1989. The project site included a little-used pocket park, and for some reason, civic leaders wanted to save it.
| The loss of a small downtown park is emerging as a major issue in whether the Common Council approves a new high-rise office building. Plans for the $55 million Ellicott Place project call for the construction of a 17-story office building on Church Street Park, a tree-lined plaza bounded by Washington, Ellicott, North Division and South Division streets. Before approving the project, Council members want assurances from the developer that the park and fountain will be replaced by new open space and that the space will be at least as big as the park. "I think that's going to be required as part of the deal," said Niagara Council Member Joel A. Giambra. "I also think the developer is conscious of the fact that there's going to be concern about that green space." The developer's initial plans included a replacement park in the adjoining block between South Division and Swan Street, just north of Pilot Field. ... Owned by the state Department of Transportation, the park was built about 20 years ago to provide green space near M&T Plaza and Main Place Mall. Giambra said the developer is proposing building on the parkland in exchange for creating open space in the block between Ellicott Square and the Erie Community College City Campus. Some development, possibly stores and restaurants, also may be included on the site. ... Unlike most downtown office projects, the developer would build its project on "speculation" or without a firm commitment from prospective tenants. |
The developer relented, and proposed moving the project. You know the rest, because this thread isn't titled "Built Buffalo"
| Faced with opposition about placing a high-rise office building on a downtown park, a Philadelphia developer today switched the site of the project to a largely vacant section of Main Street. The plan to use the park area -- bounded by Washington, Ellicott, South Division and North Division streets -- had stirred organized criticism and was unlikely to get Common Council approval. Mayor Griffin notified the Council that the Oliver Tyrone Pulver Corp. has requested that the site be switched to 456-476 Main St., currently the location of the defunct Courtyard Mall and adjoining buildings. The buildings would be demolished and replaced with a 350,000-square-foot office structure approximately 17 stories high with a $55 million price tag. Plans call for 20,000 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. ... The site switch was made known at a meeting of the Council Committee on Economic Development and was generally well received. Majority Leader James W. Pitts called it "one of the best decisions that has been made" in downtown planning. "It will take one of the dead zones in downtown and liven it up," Pitts said. Laurence K. Rubin, Griffin's commissioner of community development, said he believes the only current occupants of the new site are a clothing store called Sizes Unlimited and a quick photo processing outlet. Officials have been working behind the scenes for a new site since opposition to using the park area surfaced. Use of the park site "would not have gotten through this Council," North Council Member David P. Rutecki asserted today. But Griffin's notice to the Council did not mention the opposition. Instead, he cited "technical difficulties" in getting state-owned land for the project. ... Meanwhile, new opposition appeared that is not based on the site, but the project itself. The Buildings Owners and Managers Association of Buffalo Inc. objected to a low-interest subsidy for a new office building when "there already exists a substantial supply of excellent downtown office space." ... |
There's also Seaport Plaza, and the revival of the concept for one or two more towers at the Marine Midland Center. BEN January 26 1994.
| A decade ago, Los Angeles developer S. Jon Kreedman paid $55 million and took title to Buffalo's tallest building, Marine Midland Center. Over the last 10 years, the landmark has been one of the Queen City's most successful in terms of vacant space -- it usually doesn't have any. ... ... Kreedman also is thinking long term about constructing his Buffalo dream: a mini-Rockefeller Plaza centered around the 40-story Marine center. Rebuffed twice in the last 10 years by Marine Midland Bank in his attempts to add smaller office towers to the center's plaza, Kreedman put together plans about four years ago to construct a $30 million office tower at Main, Scott and Washington streets. Yet even while marketing the 11-story Seaport Plaza, Kreedman decided he would make another run at developing the nearby Marine plaza. And this time he says he had Marine convinced to at least listen to his plans. Seeking Marine's approval was mandatory. The bank's 40-year lease carried a stipulation that anything done to the center's exterior, including additional construction, must be approved by the financial institution. Instead of a 12-story office building or nine-floor tower as had been proposed in his previous two designs, Kreedman's newest plan included twin 12-story office buildings flanking the 40-story tower and connected via two very elaborate floors of retail shops. Price tag? Conservatively estimated at $100 million. However, this was the early 1990s, when the downtown office space vacancy rate skyrocketed past 20 percent. "The market turned -- the economy didn't warrant the project," Kreedman said. "We couldn't do anything." However, the long-time developer has not given up on doing his part to help revitalize Main Street's southern terminus. "If we had tenants, we would go ahead with the project -- no question about it," Kreedman said. |
And a year later. BEN, February 4, 1990.
| ... Until or if Marine agrees to another building, Kreedman is devoting his energies to making nearby Seaport Plaza successful. Announced in December, Seaport Plaza is a $30 million, 11-story office tower offering 207,000 square feet of net rentable space. Located at Washington, Scott and Main streets, Seaport Plaza will be constructed on what is now a 300-space open-air parking lot. On a portion of the project's two acres, Kreedman will build a three-story, 400-space parking ramp. "We plan to break ground in May and to be completed within 15 months," Kreedman said. Like most developers, Kreedman is hoping to have the building 60 percent pre-leased before it opens in the summer of 1991. Generally, permanent financing is not possible unless a building is 50 percent pre-leased. Kreedman said he would go forward with Seaport Plaza with 40 percent pre-leasing, and that already 30 percent of the tower is leased. "We've been negotiating with tenants who need more space in Marine Center," he said. Marine Midland Center currently is about 100 percent occupied, with many tenants having long-term leases. Those looking for additional space will move to Seaport Plaza, while other in-center tenants will shift into the vacated area. Kreedman said two Center occupants have indicated they're interested in Seaport. "We will also have a restaurant in Seaport Plaza's lobby, offering a little less than 7,000 square feet," Kreedman said. While drawing existing tenants from Marine Midland Center, Kreedman also feels Seaport Plaza has a number of features potential tenants want. The building was designed without space-interrupting columns, which will allow more variations in space planning. In addition, the net rentable area on the second through the 11th floor is 19,715 square feet. By comparison, Key Center at Fountain Plaza, currently under construction, offers 14,522 square feet of rentable space per floor. In addition, Seaport Plaza will feature nine-foot ceilings on floors two through eight, 10 1/2 -foot ceilings on the ninth and 10th floors, and 12-foot ceilings on the 11th floor. Key Center has nine-foot ceilings. "People love high ceilings. They give a feeling of space even to a small office," Kreedman said. Advertising for Seaport Plaza begins next month, with marketing to be conducted both in the United States and Canada. Wilrock National of Buffalo Inc. is the exclusive leasing agent for the project. |
Ellicott Center Plaza was a victim of the early 1990s recession. The $30,000,000 (2020 $59,600,000) project, proposd by Cleveland-based North Coast Holding Corporation, was going to have four 6-story office buildings wrapped around a 6-floor parking ramp -- an early version of a liner building development. The site was the block bordered by Ellicott, Oak, Clinton, and Eagle streets.
