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Vernor Building
| Lost |
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
- Located in the Theater Historic Preservation District
- Youtube - Protester stands in front of Friday afternoon demo
- Youtube - Vernor demo
Links
- BuffaloAH - Historic Theatre District
- City of Buffalo Theater District Map
- BuffaloAH - Vernor Building
- BuffaloSpree - The Rise and Fall of the Vernor Building
- Buffalo Rising - Vernor Residential Unit Plan Falls Through
- Buffalo Rising - Vernor Demo Underway
- Preservation Buffalo Niagara - Theatre Historic District
- Buffalo Rising June 2009 - Construction Watch: Main Street 700 Block
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Added 2013-01-09 • Last changed 2014-11-14