Aldrich & Ray Manufacturing Company

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Derik Kane, Buffalo Rising

Location

1479 Niagara Street, Buffalo, NY 14213

Owner

1485 NIAGARA LLC per property viewer
Angelo Natale, Bobby Corrao, and Frank Parisi per Buffalo Rising

Physical Description

Four story, 33,550 sq.ft. brick industrial building. Original structure was 3 stories, then joined with building to the north to form U shape, then a 4th floor was added

Current Condition

Northern portion of the building was lost to fire and demolition. The original structure appears to be in good condition and recently undergoing renovation scheduled for completion in Summer 2020.

History

  • Former home of Aldrich & Ray Manufacturing Company.
  • Per Derik Kane:
    • 1879 - Established by Schuyler Aldrich.
    • By 1886 - Both Isaac A. Aldrich and George A. Ray were admitted as partners.
    • Early on the company produced small copper goods but as the company grew they manufactured a full line of hotel, restaurant and home goods. By the turn of the century they were concentrating on the production of soda fountain apparatuses. Annually, they used about 800 tons of copper and many tons of brass. This factory was designed by Frank Kempf.
  • Prior to 1900 - A former police station to the north was acquired and joined to the original factory
  • 1904 - A 4th floor was added to the building
  • 1976 - A fire destroys portions of the former police station and additions to the north and east Buffalo News

Recent Events and Actions Taken

  • September 2016: Architect Karl Frizlen is proposing a $2.5 million conversion of this building into thirty apartments.
  • October 2016: NYS Historic Preservation Office rejects the application for historic designation, citing the earlier demolition of part of the complex. Buffalo News: "In a rare defeat for a reuse project, a proposal to redevelop a former Niagara Street warehouse in Buffalo has fallen through after state historic preservation officials determined that the facility would not qualify because part of the complex had already been torn down."
  • Developer Frizlen has halted the project, as its financials were dependent on the historic tax credits.
  • March 24, 2017 - Developers Angelo Natale, Bobby Corrao, and Frank Parisi purchased the building from Bowmart Niagara LLC for $599,000. Buffalo Rising
  • October 2019 - Windows are being installed in the renovation project
  • February 2020 - The renovation project is now listed at $5.6 million with an expected completion date of summer 2020. The developer is suing the National Part Service for keeping the building off the National Register of Historic Places because half of the building was demolished following a 1976 fire. There are as much as $2 million in historic tax credits at stake, but the developer says they will proceed with the renovations either way.

Other Pertinent Facts

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Added 2015-10-13 • Last changed 2020-02-10

Adaptive Reuse | Buffalo | Buildings | Industrial Buildings | Lost Buildings | Saved Buildings | West Side