Elmwood East Historic District to be Pursued by Preservation Buffalo Niagara and Elmwood Village Association

Preservation Buffalo Niagara and the Elmwood Village Association have announced another joint effort to pursue state and national historic district designation for the future Elmwood East Historic District. The listing of Elmwood West in 2012 has resulted in significant investment by homeowners who have been lovingly restoring their properties and commercial property owners sprucing up their rentals or businesses.

A community meeting will be conducted next month to inform residents and business owners within the potential historic district boundaries of the effects and benefits of the designation. The likely boundaries of the district would include buildings on east side of Elmwood Avenue from North Street to Iroquois Drive, between Elmwood and Delaware Avenues.

Just as the designation for Elmwood West, this new historic district would enable homeowners to utilize the 20% homeowner tax credit program and commercial property owners like storefront and apartment buildings to use the 40% program for income producing properties. The additional 20% for the commercial program comes from the federal government, which is not available for the homeowner program.

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Cobblestone Historic District Officially Certified

Although the Cobblestone Historic District was already established at the local level, it has been officially elevated to certified status.  As previously discussed, the local only designation enabled additional oversight to ensure unsympathetic changes were not being made to these historic buildings, but it did not enable owners to utilize the historic tax credit program for rehabilitation.

Preservation Studios completed the certification application for the owners of the Iron Works at 49 Illinois Street, Sam Savarino, Roger Trettel, Ed Plata, and Dan Mania to benefit the rehab of the vacant warehouse to a new bar/restaurant and great live music venue. The building was built for the Queen City Engineering Co. in 1902, which stayed there until 1965.

As a result, all the buildings located in the boundaries of the Cobblestone Historic District are now eligible for the historic tax credits, especially the intact 19^th century complex at Illinois and South Park Avenue, often called the Blacksmith Shops.

The complex has been crumbling under the neglectful ownership of Darryl Carr who also owns and operates the Cobblestone Bar next door. Carr has been in and out of housing court and approached several times to sell the building, but has yet to budge. With any luck, the added incentive of the historic tax credits will entice Carr to sell or finally make a move with the buildings other than a slow demolition by neglect.

The Cobblestone Historic District was established in 1994 and includes a handful of buildings and the Cotter Fireboard dock (boundary map here).

For more images of the Cobblestone District, check out my Ipernity album here.

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Event Tomorrow at Uptown Theater to Announce Funds for Restoration of Bailey Avenue Landmark

The Bailey Avenue Business Association (BABAC) and the University Community Development Association (UDCDA) will receive $150,000 check in state funds tomorrow at the Uptown Theater, 3165 Bailey at 10am that will be used to rehabilitate the neighborhood landmark.

The theater was purchased by Abraham Cissé in 2010 who has been working since then to get it operational once again. The money to be presented tomorrow will help with the final push to open it to the public. Originally known as the Varsity, the theater was built in 1923 for James Cardina and was later owned by the Basil Brothers syndicate.

Once the final improvements have been completed the theater will be utilized by the youth program the UDCDA operates, it could serve the adjacent early childhood center and Westminster Charter School, have live performances, and maybe even screen movies. Several active groups and neighbors have also help the owner in the past with clean-up and restoration efforts like the University Heights Tool Library and Buffalo's Young Preservationists.

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Views of Buffalo Ipernity      -     fixBuffalo     -     The Atlantic Cities     -     The Urbanophile

NTHP Blog     -     Congress for New Urbanism     -     Buffalo Historic Districts