Pano Georgiadis, the owner of Pano's Restaurant at 1081 Elmwood Ave., has come under fire for what preservationists and owners of other businesses on Elmwood consider an attack on Elmwood's appeal.
Georgiadis' plan to demolish the Atwater House on 1089 Elmwood Ave. to expand his business - including the addition of a parking lot - has set preservationists on edge and incensed many of his fellow business owners on Elmwood.
"We are totally against it," said Stephen Basinski, owner of Buffalo Bungalow, a storefront at 739 Elmwood Ave. "It is not necessary to have a parking lot in the neighborhood because it decreases the value of the neighborhood."
According to Basinski the petition he signed is proof that others are against the demolition as well.
Other business owners have their own reasons for considering Georgiadis' prospective move a bad one.
Robert Franke, manager at Forever Elmwood, a store located right near Pano's, thinks Georgiadis should consider the welfare of surrounding businesses.
"There are usually problems with parking on Elmwood, but we want to fix the problem for everyone around, not just for one person," said Franke. "While it is important to know that Pano does own the house, Elmwood serves the residents and we view what Mr. Georgiadis wants to do as anti-business by eliminating another store front for parking."
The fact that he owns the house, and purchased it years ago with one specific intention, is something to which Georgiadis holds firm in the hoopla that has divided Elmwood Avenue.
"The house next door was purchased by me personally with plans to knock it down someday," Georgiadis said. "We went to City Hall and asked if it was under historical registration and they said it was not, so I bought it."
Georgiadis said that his plans for the space include expanding his front patio and also expanding the restaurant horizontally, as well as creating more parking spaces for the customers of his restaurant.
The building of a parking lot for the convenience of his customers seems ironic when standing next to the public outcry that he says is causing him to lose business.
"Some people have boycotted and made fliers, which is very unfair to our business," he said. "The house is structurally in a terrible condition. We bought it with the intention to knock it down."
Where Georgiadis sees a house in "terrible condition," Charles Hendler, a consultant to the Preservation Coalition of Erie County, sees a building worthy of safeguarding.
"Historic preservation, whether voluntary or mandatory, is making all the difference in stabilizing and reviving Buffalo as a great place to live," Hendler said. "A narrow business interest and the lack of imagination must not be allowed to spoil this success."
While some of the patrons and most of the business owners on Elmwood Avenue have rallied on either side of the preservationist versus expansionist fence, others are able to see the mix of gray in the issue concerning the 110-year-old house.
Lucy Mancuso, an employee at Moda Antiques at 616 Elmwood Ave, said she can see the issue from both angles but would rather not choose sides.
"I personally would hate to see the building ruined, but I also feel that by forcing Pano out of the area if he cannot expand, his employees would be affected negatively."
Aside from her concern for the preservation of the "character of the street," and her lack of desire to see Elmwood become a strip mall haven, Mancuso's spoke in defense of Georgiadis' right as the building's owner.
"He owns the property and what he wants to do with it is his right," she said. "If the preservation groups in our area were so concerned about this being a problem, they should have considered buying it themselves."
According to Georgiadis, a City Hall hearing will be held on Oct. 21, during which a recommendation for a demolition permit will be made or denied.
What began as Georgiadis' plan for a building expansion has become a struggle between what some patrons and business owners consider a threat to the character of Elmwood and what others view as a practical development.
Some believe such battles have their places in much broader scheme.
"I don't want Buffalo to be the kind of town that looks at old photographs and wonder why we tore that building down," said Franke. "It is important to maintain the beauty of our area."
