Via Buffalo Rising
Work is underway on Ellicott Development’s conversion of the Fairmont Creamery Co. building at 199 Scott Street into a mixed-use complex. Built in 1920, the eight-story structure was most recently used by the Arctic Freezer Company as a refrigerated storage site for Rich Product Corp. It sat idle for the past two decades and had been considered one of downtown’s major eyesores.
Ellicott Development is undertaking a $14.6 million renovation which includes a new roof, windows and a complete interior makeover.
A fire damaged the structure in June 1996 and its upper-floor windows remained open to the elements. The building’s condition has generated heavy criticism over the years. Ellicott Development has always said the building’s reuse would be market-driven. The developer has looked at a number of reuse scenarios for the property and decided the timing is right to redevelop the building for a mix of uses.
Plans prepared by AP Architects call for office space on the sixth, seventh and eighth floors, 27-30 apartments on floors three through five, a banquet facility and meeting space on the second floor, a restaurant on the first floor, and possibly a 13,000 sq.ft. brewery operation in the lower level of the building. There will be on-site parking for 140 vehicles.
Employee benefits firm Liazon has signed a lease for 15,000 sq.ft. of space, or one floor of the building. The company will be moving its 65 employees from smaller offices in the Theater District early next year.
