The hardscrabble face can be seen from the Niagara Thruway, a hat pulled down around his eyes in what appears to be a futile attempt to stave off the bitter elements.
Perched atop a silver beer tap, the 25-foot-tall “Lake Effect Man” is the most visible part of the Pearl Street Grill & Brewery’s $3 million expansion.
Exterior changes include up to three levels of terraces, stairwells and awnings on three sides of the mid-19th-century brick-and-mortar building at Pearl and Seneca streets.
Earl Ketry, managing partner, says the changes offer a “wow” factor designed to lure more customers and enhance the restaurant’s identity.
To the Buffalo Preservation Board, it’s more of a “yuck” factor.
The board has voted down changes twice in the past 10 months, claiming harm to the architectural integrity of a building that dates back to 1841 and is part of the Ellicott Historic District.
Ketry went around the board by gaining approval from the Common Council in a 5-4 vote last July.
He is considering whether to do so again after the Preservation Board rejected additional proposed changes last month.
“Lake Effect Man is our absolute icon, and it will become a central part of our marketing,” Ketry said of the dominant, 2- ton sculpture.