Eckhardt's Department Store
Preservation Studios worked with Cedarland Development to take this long dormant department store from an empty neighborhood anchor to affordable housing and a childcare center. Modern finishes throughout the first floor concealed terrazzo floors and a stepped plaster ceiling, all of which was returned to view and integrated into the new use. The large display windows were replicated to return the historic appearance based on historic photos and original drawings we found in the course of our research.
Address
950 Broadway - Buffalo, NY
Estimated Rehabilitation Costs (QRE)
$10.4 million
Total Project Cost (QRE + Non-QRE)
$12.2 million
Square Footage
52,600
HTCs
$4.2 million
Timeframe
2015 to 2024
The building is located at the prominent intersection of Broadway and Fillmore Avenue, which was the heart of “Polonia,” Buffalo’s Polish and German neighborhood. The extent of department stores in this neighborhood once rivaled downtown at its peak, but Eckhardt's Department Store is the only one remaining largely intact.
The Art Moderne building was designed by architects Bley and Lyman and built in 1940 with a streamlined aesthetic. It combines strip windows, a rounded corner, and extensive glazing on the exterior with an open-floor plan, mushroom columns, and plaster details on the interior. Until 1957, the building operated as a department store and was then converted to office space which had remained largely vacant since the 1990s.
Preservation Studios facilitated the complete historic tax credit application process, including the creation of a certified local historic district in which the building is located.
