Various downtown properties, such as the historic Post Office, Tuscarora Club on Walnut, and even an old bowling alley formerly known as Kendzie’s, are either being renovated or expected to be within the year.
Funding for the projects came from many places, including historic preservation tax credits as well as state grants sought by the Greater Lockport Development Corp. to entice buyers looking to renovate the gems and gems of the city’s landscape.
The end result, said GLDC President Brian Smith, is an ongoing process of maximizing the city’s potential and being able to see progress, not just in the downtown areas, but across the city.
“Are we fully capitalizing on all of our assets to have the greatest potential economic impact possible? Smith asked. “I think when you break down that philosophy, I think you’re going to find that it’s never been done. You’re always looking at what assets we have right now and, ‘Are we fully realizing the potential that that asset gives us? offer?’ ”
Smith gave examples of the historic Lockport Palace Theater and the Five Locks Flight area along Canal Street as ‘assets’ that have been reborn as attractions that bring more people to the city center .
Kendzie’s and the YMCA
GLDC purchased 13 West Main St., formerly Kendzie’s bowling alley and bar, for $100,000 in December 2018. Funding through the Restore New York Communities initiative injected $300,000 into the costs of engineering the building to make it ‘ready for the market’.
On Wednesday, developer Matt Martin said he is expected to close the building within two weeks and take possession of the 14,200-square-foot, 66-year-old building that has been vacant since 2001. Martin confirmed that he and his brother, CJ Martin, will invest nearly $1.85 million in the project and will renovate to house apartments on the second floor while the first floor will be dedicated to a micro-brewery.
“Some work has started,” Martin said. “Put on a new roof and a few other things.”
Martin is a Lockport native who has worked in real estate for about 12 years. He says he likes old buildings.
“We saw an opportunity to buy and reuse these old buildings and that’s what we did,” he said. “We saw an opportunity at the Y (former YMCA building on East Main Street) and we saw it at Kendzie’s. We wanted to step in and see how we could help these buildings.
At the YMCA, Martin said he envisions co-working where professionals can have a workspace if needed.
Construction of Kendzie’s has begun, but will ramp up in April 2022, Martin said. The building is expected to be completed by January 1, 2023. Historic tax credits will be used for the old bowling alley, which will be renamed.
Work on the YMCA is expected to begin in May and is also expected to be completed by January 1.
historic post office
The historic One East Main Street Post Office was opened in 1904 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. It was purchased by Iskalo Development in 2015.
Iskalo executive vice president Dave Chiazza said historic preservation tax credits will be applied to the project and renovations must meet National Park Service standards.
Smith agreed, saying that while all grants using public funds are reviewed by the state Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), properties using the tax credits are held to higher standards.
“Nothing is done that has not been approved by SHPO,” he said. “Just because you’re not using historic tax credits doesn’t mean you aren’t held to a standard to make sure nothing will take away the historic fabric of a property or community. . … The benefit is so great with the real tax credit, but the SHPO exam is still (necessary). You won’t see any of these projects removing historic fabric.
Chiazza said the building will accommodate a variety of tenants, with just under 10,000 square feet reserved for shops as well as a potential restaurant and craft space.
Chiazza said Lockport is ramping up.
“Projects like the theater in front of our house, the Cornerstone Arena, our project. These are the constituent elements of the place. Once you create enough critical mass, you have momentum. Once you have momentum, it builds on itself,” he said.
The project will be completed in late spring 2022.
Tuscarora Club
Dominic Ciliberto, head of DLC Diversified Holdings, LLC, bought the Tuscarora Club Building in 2018 for $230,000 from GLDC and planned to turn the 15,000 square foot building into a banquet hall and boutique hotel, complete with patio on the roof. He believes there is nothing like it in Western New York.
Partially funded by a $500,000 grant from Restore New York and $800,000 of state funds from the Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI), Ciliberto also invested an additional $1.5 million. It should be noted that Ciliberto also received a 10-year payment in lieu of taxes agreement with the county, saving him $315,000 in property, sales and mortgage taxes.
Ciliberto estimated that the “T-club” event center will be open in the summer and hotel rooms will begin to open within the next two years.
“I think we’re doing a good job preserving the bones until we move forward with the rest of the project,” Ciliberto said. He noted that final design approval is with SHPO before grant money is available.
“Once it’s all redone, it’ll be pretty easy to rent out,” he said. “As soon as we get the approvals, we will submit the building permit and start assembling some of the parts.”
