J.N. Adam / AM&A's Department Store

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Photos by Vintage Buffalo NY, Karl Josker, Buffalo Evening News, E.H. Butler Library, Buffalo Rising


Washington Street side by Buffalo Rising, Mike Puma

Location

377 Main Street, Buffalo NY 14203
Also known as 383-393 Main or 385 Main
Google Bird's Eye View
Ellicott Council District
SBL: 111.13-14-2
Erie County Property Info
County Tax Map (loads GIS page)
City of Buffalo Parcel Viewer

Next to: Brisbane Building
Across from: Adam Meldrum Anderson Building, Iroquois Hotel, and AM&A's Warehouse

Owner

Landco H&L Inc. as of November 25, 2014
Formerly New Horizons Acquisitions LLC per propertyviewer
NYS Corporation and Business Entity Database

Physical Description

350,000 sq.ft combination of five historic buildings into one department store. There are 9 floors above ground and three below. Two of the buildings were designed by Green & Wicks in 1891 and 1895. Esenwein & Johnson designed a third in 1909. Starett & Van Vleck did the most modern additions.

Current Condition

Secure but abandoned. Some masonry issues on Washington Street side.

History

  • 1881 - J.N. Adam founded at 292 Main Street by James Noble Adam, a brother of Robert B. Adam (a founder of AM&A's)
  • 1890s - Flagship store of the J.N. Adam department store moves to Main and Eagle Streets
  • 1946-1948 - Store expansion with twelve story addition
  • 1960 - J.N. Adam closes. Adam Meldrum and Anderson moves in flagship store from across the street
  • 1993 - CEO Robert Adam III, grandson of the founder, dies.
  • 1994 - AM&As chain purchased by Bon-Ton
  • 1995 - Bon-Ton closes downtown location
  • 1999 - Specialty retailer Taylors closes after eight months

Recent Events and Actions Taken

  • 2006 - Purchased for $2,050,000 by New Horizons. Had announced a $60 million restoration wiht 180 apartments and ground floor retail
  • 2007 - "Carl Paladino and Paul Ciminelli urged their fellow Buffalo Place Inc. directors to join their crusade to have the 10-story building torn down, along with a neighboring warehouse on Washington Street, and have both sites converted into much-coveted shovel-ready land." Business First Buffalo
  • 2009 - Discussion of Rocco Termini purchasing building for a $70 million restoration with 117-room hotel, food court, office space and apartments
  • 2012 - Lack of historic preservation tax credit cap increase in NYS cited as reason Termini deal fell through
  • October 2014 - The City of Buffalo is looking for the State Attorney General to force the sale of the old AM&A’s building because Horizons Development, based in Long Island, has done “minimum code compliance” and the building is deteriorating.
  • November 25, 2014 - Landco H&L Inc., a New York City-based investment group with ties to China, bought the building for $2.775 million. No plans have been released.
    • 'The surprise deal comes amid renewed local interest in adaptive reuse of the building, real estate sources say. Hospitality developer Hamister Group was negotiating an agreement to buy the former department store to proceed with its own redevelopment plans, when the Buffalo-based firm was notified two weeks ago that the seller was withdrawing from talks with Hamister and another buyer.' The Buffalo News
  • January 29, 2015 - 'Workers set up for a $5 million, four-month-long asbestos removal project scheduled to begin next month. When the project is complete, the new owners hope to create a New York City-Buffalo-Niagara Falls pipeline that would take Chinese tourists by bus from the Big Apple to stay in one of up to 300 hotel rooms envisioned for the former AM&A’s. ' Mark Sommer, Buffalo News
  • April 2015 - City Planning Board gives "favorable review" of the project
  • April 2015 - "Lanco H & L is planning to spend $50 to $60 million on the building’s makeover, wants to start work this summer, and have the project complete by the end of 2016. The project will be privately financed but the owners may be utilizing historic preservation tax credits to assist with the effort."

Other Pertinent Facts

Links


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Added 2013-01-08 • Last changed 2015-06-15

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