Monroe Motor Car Company
The principals at Preservation Studios led the development team as co-owners of the project, which transformed a forgotten landmark into workforce affordable housing and six commercial retail spaces. The exterior of the building had been entombed with corrugated metal since the 1970s and the detailed automobile showroom was totally hidden by modern walls. When the building came up for sale, our team knew what others in the market didn't, that a beautiful historic building remained beneath the later coverings. Original drawings and historic photos were utilized to faithfully replicate the cornices that had been removed with the 1970s metal covering.
Address
1786 Main Street - Buffalo, NY
Estimated Rehabilitation Costs (QRE)
$5.5 million
Total Project Cost (QRE + Non-QRE)
$6.5 million
Square Footage
23,000
HTCs
$2.2 million
Timeframe
2019-2025
The Monroe Motor Car building is a former automobile dealership built in 1920 and was in continuous use for auto sales and repair until 1968. It was designed by locally prominent architect G. Morton Wolfe and is located along “Automobile Row” named for a large concentration of automobile related industries along Main Street. In 1932, the Monroe building was purchased by Ford Motor Car to serve as a prototype for their first full service dealership. The long building along the north side, built in 1929, was purchased by Ford and connected via several openings in their shared walls.
Preservation Studios facilitated the complete historic tax credit application process, including the National Register listing.
