So the BS...I mean BN has a post up with some quotes from the new owner. Out of everything this stood out to me:

His plans for the building are still evolving. But he reiterated his “back-of-the-envelope” projections. “I see one-third residential, one-third hotel and one-third office, and I see a good part of it retail in this courtyard,” he said. “It’s got a tremendous amount of opportunity.”



The current placement of the tower leaves a lot to be desired for many. It's a ton of open space with public art but it does not really act like a public space. Mostly because the liability of the Metro cutting through. If the metro was not above ground I would bet that the courtyard space is where they would have located concerts and such.

Next, when you consider 3 separate uses you're likely looking at needing 3 different lobbies. Lastly, this company has experience in mid-rise development. From all of this, here is what I think is going to happen....

I think he builds out mid-rise space over the courtyards. Especially along the courtyard that fronts Washington. I could also see him extending the courtyard on the other side fronting Pearl.

One of the mid-rise buildings would service the hotel. It would include a porte-cochère for drop off and pickup, a large lobby and then ballroom/meeting space. The other mid-rise will include retail on the ground floor, a new lobby for the office and for the residences. The floors above would be large office floor plates that are not found in typical office towers downtown.

As for the tower itself, that's cut into 3. The first 1/3 is for office space. This would allow the ability to pitch a company for both large floor plates for operations and smaller floor plates for executives that would be connected. The second 1/3 would be hotel rooms. The layout of the building suites this pretty well I assume. The third 1/3 would be of course residential condos. Offering the best views in the city.

I also think that the restaurant on the top floor is in the plan. It just makes sense to have such an option for such a building.


Sadly I don't think the exterior of the building is skinned. This is sad because it could really change the look of the building but the Buffalo market just does not justify the cost right now. I do wonder how they would blend new construction with the old construction.