The Cobblestone Historic
District is currently only designated at the local level, which means owners
who plan rehabbing those properties are not able to utilize the historic tax
credit program. Preservation
Studios has completed a certification application for the owners of a
property at 49 Illinois Street in the Cobblestone District that would enable
property owners to access those historic tax credits. The application is
currently at National Park Service awaiting their determination.
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| The Queen City Engineering Building at 49 Illinois Street |
There have been several
other districts in Buffalo that have gone through the same process like the
Linwood Historic District and the 500 Block District. These two districts are
not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, but are rather
certified historic districts, which entitles them to the same tax credit
benefits of an officially listed district.
Savarino Companies pursued the designation for the building at 49 Illinois Street, which is being transformed from a shuttered factory into Buffalo’s newest music venue, Buffalo Iron Works. The building is owned by a partnership including Sam Savarino, Roger Trettel, Ed Plata, and Dan Mania. The building was built in 1902 for the Queen City Engineering Company, which occupied it until 1965. It was then purchased by Buffalo Wholesale Supply and used until 1993 when it was vacated.
One of the biggest benefits
of this certification has yet to be seen, but has all the potential to be great
for the aggregation of attached buildings at the corner of Illinois Street and South
Park Avenue. Portions of this complex date to pre-Civil War, when it was used
as the Mugridge Steam Bakery. Although currently vacant and neglected, the
added benefit of historic tax credits may entice the owner of those properties to
either repair/restore the buildings or sell them to someone who will.
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| This great complex sits vacant and neglected. It's owned by Darryl Carr, the owner of the Cobblestone Bar |
The district boundaries are
the same as the local designation from 1994, which can be seen here.
The local district was established in response to the plans for the Marine
Midland arena, which demolished two blocks of historic structures. It
encompasses the full block of buildings at between Illinois, South Park,
Mississippi, and Perry, the cobblestone streets of Baltimore and Columbia, and
the Edward M. Cotter Fireboat dock. Savarino Companies has already purchased
and renovated several of the properties within the district.
For more images of the Cobblestone District, check out my Ipernity album here.
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