9/15/2008

First Ward Lofts at the Cooperage

The E & B Holmes building, in Buffalo's first ward, caught my eye years ago - google map. I just learned about the following media advisory from a fixBuffalo reader.
R0013394
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 at 4:00 p.m.

The E. & B. Holmes Machinery Co., 55 Chicago Street, Buffalo

Jay DiLorenzo
President
Preservation League of New York State

Clinton E. Brown
Owner
Newark Niagara LLC

An important announcement by the Preservation League of New York State and others regarding the rehabilitation of the historic E & B Holmes Machinery Co. on the Buffalo River waterfront into residential market-rate lofts and commercial space.

Here a few pics I've collected and a link to additional information about the building.

Very good news.

Update...9/15/08...10:15pm

The following photo appeared in this Buffalo Rising post about the Cooperage.

Picture 2

Check out the website when you have a moment - River Lofts Buffalo.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lofts @ the Cooperage? I sincerely wish these dreamers the best but I doubt this building will ever house more than an illusion.

E & B Holmes was a heavy duty manufacturing plant whose floors were saturated with all kinds of oil and solvents. Besides the inevitable mold rampant throughout the exposed and damp structure, I doubt that the existing interior (let alone the surrounding industrial wasteland) would pass even the most rudimentary environmental safety exam.

It would be one thing to save this building for industrial museum purposes but for luxury lofts?

I love the "Distillery District" in Toronto but this building hardly constitutes a district.

I don't know what's going here? Even a simple visual examination of the site would reveal to the most deluded Buffaloon the reality that this structure would exceed many millions of dollars in rehab costs. What taxpayer entity will be asked to ante up/underwrite this boondoggle?

I say, "thanks, but no thanks" to lofts at the Cooperage (even though this is one of my favorite places in Buffalo).

Anonymous said...

Bruce, this building will be successfully saved and redeveloped. If you have any doubts, come out Wednesday for the announcement that David posted, and check it out firsthand. I'm expecting to be there - perhaps we'll meet.

Anonymous said...

I drove past there on Friday (1/16/09) and "The Red Mark of Death" was on one of the front doors...

Has there been a change in status?