Vernor Building

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Photo: Joe Sparacio via Courier Express, Buffalo Spree, Mark Paradowski

Location

752 Main Street Buffalo, NY 14202
Google Bird's Eye View
Fillmore Council District
SBL: 111.30-2-1.11
Erie County Property Info
County Tax Map (loads GIS page)
City of Buffalo Parcel Viewer

Next to: Schmidt's Building and Buffalo Music Hall / Teck Theater
Across the street from: 743 Main Street

Owner

The last building owner was David Shifrin of Cleveland
TECK ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP per propertyviewer
NYS Corporation and Business Entity Database

Physical Description

Three-story terra cotta building with a light-flooded showroom.
The second and third floor each had 10,000 sq.ft. of open space.

Current Condition

Demolished. Vacant lot.

History

The Vernor Building at 752 Main Street was built in 1903 as a showroom for Pierce-Arrow automobiles. S. H. Woodruff is credited with designing the showroom building. It was billed as “the largest automobile salesroom in the world” when it opened.

After Pierce-Arrow moved, the company sold its downtown building to the James Vernor Company, which converted it to a bottling plant and retail store for Vernor’s Ginger Ale. In 1951, Vernor sold its building to owners who began renting space in the building to a succession of retail tenants.

In 1998, the city was about to demolish the Vernor by skirting around a preservation ordinance before it got a temporary reprieve. In 2005, City Court Judge Henry Nowak issued a $51,000 fine to Tech Associates, headed by David Shifrin of Cleveland, on 35 counts. "It was a classic case of demolition by neglect," Nowak said from the bench. The building had been cited several times for code violations since the early 1990s, but Tech Associates had avoided making a single improvement or paying a fine. In May 2007, the Vernor Building was knocked down, 100 years after it opened.
(courtesy Buffalo Spree and BuffaloAH)

Recent Events and Actions Taken

*It was demolished in 2007.

Other Pertinent Facts

Links


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Added 2013-01-09 • Last changed 2014-11-14

Buffalo | Buildings | Commercial Buildings | Downtown | Historic District | Lost Buildings | Vacant Lot