The original section of the building was built in 1901, with additions made through 1926. It is an example of daylight factory design. The four- to six-story building is constructed of brick and reinforced concrete. The company moved to Cheektowaga, New York in 1959.[2]
The building is visible from the I-190 and occupies nearly the full block bound by Myrtle Avenue and Hamburg, Spring and Seneca streets.
Developers under the legal entity 500 Seneca LLC (consisting of FFZ Holdings and Savarino Development Corp.) purchased the vacant structure from New Era Cap Company in March 2010.[3]New Era moved out in 2004 when it consolidated its local manufacturing facilities at a plant in Derby, New York.[3] The building underwent a $35,000,000 renovation[4] into 195,000 square feet of unique Class A office space and 110,000 square feet of dedicated below market space for community and/or cultural organizations.[3] The building features an enclosed exterior courtyard and expansive interior "green" atrium. The site also includes adjacent surface parking.[4] In addition to commercial space, the building will feature 110 residential units.[5]
The project was designed by Chaintreuil/Jensen/Stark Architects LLP and Tredo Engineers. It was being funded through state and federal historic tax credits, state brownfields tax credits, and money from the Community Preservation Corp., with a financing guarantee from the State of New York Mortgage Agency.[5]
Tenants
Once opened in 2015, tenants at the 306,000[5] square foot 500 Seneca Street building will include:
ABC-Amega Inc.- largest tenant on the fourth floor
Frontier Industrial Services and Frontier Group of Companies[3]