The long-vacant and graffiti-covered building at 2915 Main St. next to Bennett High School will soon be converted into loft apartments. Renovations to what was once Bethune Hall, the former home of the UB departments of art and architecture, will begin early this summer.
Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. has partnered with Carmina Wood Morris Architects to rehabilitate and convert the six-story structure into apartments intended for graduate students, Ph.D. candidates, professors, and professionals working at the Buffalo Niagara Medical Complex.
"We're preservationists at heart," said Steven Carmina, partner at Carmina Wood Morris Architects. "We have a real commitment to the city."
Carmina said that his firm's participation in the renovation just makes sense.
"There has been a blight in that area and after the renovations to Bennett [High School], there was a rebirth of sorts," Carmina said. "We were really excited about getting involved when Ciminelli called us."
The project, which began to take shape when Ciminelli expressed interest in the site one year ago, is rooted in the concepts of accessibility, reuse, and environmentalism, according to Carmina.
"Rehabilitating some of the buildings around Buffalo that have been left and are slowly disintegrating gives us the opportunity to go in and try to save them," said Wendy Ferrie, architect and associate at Carmina Wood Morris. "We're maintaining the historic fabric of the area."
Louise Blanchard Bethune, the first professional woman architect in the nation, designed the building in 1915. In 1994, the last art class was held in the building when the program relocated to the Center for the Arts; it has since been empty.
The influx of graduate students and professionals upon completion of the project will help to further clean up the area, according to Ferrie.
"It will bring community," Ferrie said.
Anthony Rozak was the chair of the art department when it was located in Bethune Hall. Now an associate professor, he recalled that the building has a "marvelous amount of space." Although it was ideal for art students, he is concerned that expenses, such as heating the building, will harm the project.
"It's a great building, but it is not the most efficient or economical place for an apartment," Rozak said.
Daniel Calleri, an instructional support technician in the department of visual studies, described the location as prime.
Students who had classes in Bethune Hall could connect to the surrounding community. Rather than being marooned on suburb-surrounded North Campus, students had access to the vibrancy of Hertel Avenue, Calleri said.
"You were closer to art communities, closer to downtown, and closer to South Campus," Calleri said.
Rozak recalls a sense of isolation when he taught in the building.
"The remoteness was not a good thing," Rozak said. "It removed us from the main campus, and it was often difficult to interact with colleagues."
For professors and graduate students who want to live away from campus, however, the building is in a great location, Rozak said.
Aside from green space and views of the city from upper floors, proximity to the LaSalle Metro Rail Station promotes the use of rapid transit.
"It really begins to green up Buffalo a little bit," said Carmina in terms of the opportunity for residents to give up cars in favor of more efficient commuting options.
The architects have envisioned an energy-efficient design for the rehabilitation that favors use of recycled materials and reuse of existing materials.
Ciminelli's commitment to the concept of green design ensures that cost will not be the primary concern; the proposals will be made to support the real estate corporation, according to Carmina.
The design is interactive and will provide residents the opportunity to be more environmentally conscious.
Polished concrete floors, intricate interior brickwork, 12 to 14-foot ceilings, and windows that make up 75 to 80 percent of the building's exterior are features that will make the loft apartments remarkable, according to Carmina.
Calleri hopes that the architecture firm will be able to preserve the integrity of the building as they create living areas.
"It just had an art school feel to it," Calleri said.
The apartments will sell at market rate prices and are meant to be affordable.
Email: news@ubspectrum.com
