With busted windows and weeds creeping through cracks in the concrete parking lot, the historic Buffalo Electric Vehicle Co. building looks like a piece of Buffalo history that's about to wither away.
But after a few more months of construction and renovation, the 1911 structure on the East side of Main Street will soon be home to 60 area artists and their families, thanks to Artspace, a non-profit real estate developer based in Minneapolis.
Artspace aims to provide housing to "starving artists" across the country - a place to work and live that their tenants can afford. They've completed properties in places like Chicago, Houston and Pittsburgh, but this is the first project in New York.
About three years ago, the City of Buffalo invited Artspace to come and view possible sites for a housing project, and although the developers were at first skeptical of Buffalo's potential to take advantage of the endeavor, they soon changed their mind after touring the city.
"They became convinced that Buffalo had the breadth and depth of an art community for the project," said Eva Hassett, the executive vice president of Savarino Construction Co., the group currently working on the building.
When the project started, Hassett was the chief of staff under former Mayor Anthony Masiello. She was instrumental in bringing Artspace to Buffalo and getting the project started.
The 16.9 million dollar development comes with support from government officials from both parties, including Senator Hilary Clinton, Congressman Tom Reynolds and former Governor George Pataki.
Eleven million dollars of the funding comes from federal low income housing tax credits, while local foundations donated an additional two million. HGTV's Restore America program and the National Trust for Historic Preservation also gave grants to the project in support of its initiative to renovate and protect the building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
"This building will not just be kept for looking at now, but also for using," said Niraj Verma, the chair of the Department of Urban Planning at UB.
The project will build 36 apartment-style lofts for various-sized households in the old factory, and 24 new spaces in a vacant area behind the building, as well as 13,000 square feet of commercial space on the street level for arts organizations and art-friendly businesses.
The hope is that the apartments will not only create a new artistic community in an old part of Buffalo, but also that they will breathe new life into the area and encourage investment of all types.
"When we renovate older buildings in neighborhoods in decline, it stimulates economic development around the building," said Shannon Joern, a resource development manager from Artspace.
A number of people have already showed interest in signing a lease for the apartments, which should be completed by summer 2007. They will first have to pass through a selection committee, however, if they want a chance to be a part of this new family of artists.
A group of local artists and a member of Artspace will screen the potential renters, looking for people who show a dedication to their work and the art community.
Artspace doesn't follow a strict definition of what qualifies someone as an artist. Visual and performing artists, metalworkers, chefs, even canoe-makers - all are welcome.
"They don't make a bound," Hassett said. "It's just about someone who is passionate for what they do."
One of the most appealing aspects about the project is that Artspace is able to offer the live in work studios to artists who normally would not be able to afford such a luxury.
The real estate agency will rent out the spaces to families whose annual income is below the Area Median Income, which for the Buffalo area is $58,300 for a family of four. Six units, for example, are reserved for households whose annual incomes are no higher than 30 percent of the current AMI.
"Our creative community is one of the things that makes Buffalo unique and makes us who we are," Hassett said. "It's important for us to support and nurture them."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
