The list of housing options for people looking to live in downtown Buffalo continues to grow. WBFO's Chris Caya has more on the adaptive reuse of an historic building - that nearly met the wrecker's ball.
Several years after work began, Greenleaf Development and Construction Company celebrated the completion of the Bosche Lofts, at Main near Allen, on Thursday. Greenleaf's president, Jim Swiezy admits he's not sure why he took on the restoration of a partially collapsed building.
"I just loved the building. I think it had a lot of character. I didn't really have any intended purpose for it when we bought it."
That was in 2007, Swiezy says, before work on the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus began across the street. He says the building is a perfect example of the city's history. In the late 1800s, he says, 80 percent of the shops on Main Street were transportation related, including bicycles and carriages.
"The building was constructed in 1891 by Charles and Robert Bosche. The first two floors were used to house their showroom and offices. And then the third and the fourth floors were a repair shop and storage."
Now the building has 23 new one and two bedroom luxury apartments.
"They have everything from air conditioning, laundry in the units themselves. All natural hardwood floors. Beautiful windows. Anything that you want. There's a common deck that overlooks the city's skyline that's absolutely spectacular."
The units range from $1,400.00 to $2,500.00 a month.