Much progress has been made on Frontier Group of Companies’ Seneca Street Lofts project at 550 Seneca Street. A healthy group of workers are getting closer to completion under the direction of construction superintendent David Russell, who provided a tour of the building along with co-developer David Pawlik, who owns CSS Construction, the general construction firm that is renovating the 98,000 sq. ft. complex.
Continue readingCasa Serena Given Thumbs Up by Planning Board
The proposed apartment complex by Anthony LoRusso at 295 Maryland Street (corner of Maryland & West) was given full approval by the City of Buffalo Planning Board Tuesday morning after making some minor changes to a previous plan. Called “Casa Serena”, this project consists of a new building housing 54 market-rate one and two-bedroom apartments fronting West Avenue. There will be a main parking lot accessed from Maryland Ave, along with a smaller parking area located to the south accessed from West Avenue.
Continue readingBig Step in Larkin District: The Square at Larkinville
A warehouse at the northeast corner of Seneca and Hamburg streets will become the Larkin District’s first significant residential project. “The Square at Larkinville” will feature 31 market-rate apartments and 18,500 sq.ft. of office space at 550 Seneca Street. It is being undertaken by Frontier Group of Companies. CSS Construction will be an investor and serve as the general contractor for the $5.4 million project that has been designed by Carmina Wood Morris.
Continue readingAdaptive Reuse Project Complete on Kenmore Avenue; Apartments Now Leasing
Another Buffalo church has found new life as residential space. Creative Structures Services (CSS), a general contracting, project management and development firm headed by David Pawlik and Russell Kyte, has recently finished work on the former Buffalo Covenant Church at 786 Kenmore Avenue.
A dozen apartments and one live-work unit are now located in the building located at Kenmore and Harvest avenues. The Evangelical church decided to shut down due to declining membership and held its final service in the building one year ago. The congregation had occupied the structure since its construction in 1947.
Continue readingFairfield Commons Project Completed, Kenmore Avenue Conversion Underway
Creative Structures Services (CSS) has wrapped-up conversion of a historic Buffalo library into luxury apartments and is diving into a similar project on Kenmore Avenue. The general contracting, project management and development firm headed by David Pawlik and Russell Kyte transformed the former Fairfield Library at 1659 Amherst Street into five apartments and a small amount of office space.
Continue readingApartments Proposed for Recently Closed Kenmore Avenue Church
Creative Structures Services (CSS) is planning another adaptive reuse project in North Buffalo. With one residential conversion under its belt and a second under construction, the development is proposing to convert the 13,000 sq.ft. Buffalo Covenant Church at 786 Kenmore Avenue into residential and commercial space.
Continue readingA Landmark Meeting: The Fairfield Library
The Fairfield Library, already a landmark in the hearts and minds of thousands of Buffalonians, is poised to become an officially designated city landmark. Unless, of course, a developer has his way. The building has been vacant since 2005, when Erie County closed the branch. The building stands prominently on a sweep of green lawn at Amherst and Fairfield streets in Parkside, a familiar landmark for over 100 years, even for those who never walked in its doors. The building opened as a Unitarian Church in 1897. Designed by eminent architect, Parkside resident, and Unitarian Willam Sydney Wicks, the structure is a unique Classical Revival building with cedar shingle siding.
Continue readingFairfield Library Conversion to Start This Summer
Creative Structure Solutions (CSS) is closer to converting a vacant, historic North Buffalo library into luxury apartments. David Pawlik’s firm has a contract to purchase the Fairfield Library at 1659 Amherst Street from the City and rehabilitate it into five apartments and a small amount of office space.
Continue readingPreservation Ready: Updates
Time is running out for this local landmark, built in 1863 and known as the Wilkeson House. It is owned by the Public Bridge Authority, which has plans to demolish it and several other properties in order to make way for an expanded Peace Bridge Plaza. Interested parties were invited to acquire and remove any of the seven Busti properties that would be demolished; proposals to do so had to be submitted by April 26, and any structures purchased with a refundable deposit of $10,000 must be removed by June 29. The possibility of such removals—which would be complex and expensive—seems unlikely. At press time, we had not heard that any of the Busti houses were being preserved in this manner.
Continue readingConstruction Watch: 363 E. Ferry Street
Six townhouses have been completed at 363 E. Ferry Street. The attractive, $1.35 million project was developed by Second Chance Ministries and is a women’s facility. It occupies a formerly vacant lot that was purchased from the City last fall for $14,400.
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