Barcalo Living & Commerce was a complex adaptive reuse development in Buffalo's Old First Ward that successfully repurposed a significant part of Buffalo’s industrial history by transforming the former Barcalo Manufacturing Co. factory, best known for its iconic ‘Barcalounger’ recliners, into a mixed-use complex situated across from Father Conway Park near the Buffalo River where a surge of similar adaptive reuse development activity has recently occurred along the adjacent Ohio Street corridor.
Originally built in phases from 1896 to 1917, the complex at 225 Louisiana St. features a combination of wood-timber, brick, reinforced concrete and steel construction. After 60 years of neglect and underuse, the building’s redevelopment began in earnest in 2021 when Karl Frizlen of the Frizlen Group acquired the building with a team of investors, including Michael Masters of BRD Construction, who serves as the project’s co-developer.
For their work in knitting together the eight buildings in the complex into a vibrant restored complex containing 116 apartments, more than 30,000 square feet of commercial space and an art exhibition space in a 450-foot-long former alley that has now become an interior corridor running the length of the building, the $38 million Barcalo Living & Commerce complex was selected as the winner of the 2024 CoStar Impact Award for redevelopment of the year by an independent panel of local industry professionals.
The residential units include 51 one-bedroom, 56 two-bedroom, and nine three-bedroom apartments incorporating 48 different layouts. All the apartments include original wood, luxury vinyl tile or engineered hardwood flooring, stainless steel appliances, and kitchen islands or breakfast bars. Most have tall ceilings and large windows with some second-floor apartments having private terraces.
One of the project's primary objectives was to introduce new uses and attract diverse tenants to the building and surrounding neighborhood. The commercial leasing team engaged in extensive outreach and collaboration with local entrepreneurs, resulting in a mix of tenants that reflect the diverse fabric of Buffalo.
Commercial tenants include fitness studio Pace Strength & Conditioning, and Buffalo Cryo, a cryotherapy and recovery studio, which will share space with Ethereal Beauty Aesthetics & Recovery. Oak & Iron, a tattoo, hair and nail salon. And Frequentem Brewing, a Canandaigua brewery expanding into the Buffalo market.
About the Project: From a design perspective, the project's primary challenge was to rescue the many historic aspects of the complex after decades of neglect and blend them into a modern functional design with contemporary finishes and layouts. The architects incorporated all salvageable architectural details such as exposed brick walls, metal stairs, concrete columns, and exposed beams. They also replaced 600 historic windows with replicas matching the style and material of the original windows and were approved by the State Historic Preservation Office. The developers preserved and displayed 20 gigantic red sliding fire doors, each of which weighs about a ton.
Once construction began the deterioration of the complex was more severe than anticipated. But despite the costly challenges uncovered during construction, the development team remained committed to making the project as sustainable as possible. With the aid of a $500,000 grant from New York State, several green infrastructure pieces were incorporated, including landscaping and other water retention projects to help ease the load on Buffalo’s overloaded sewer system. The Barcalo complex is located in a Brownfield Opportunity Area, and the developers successfully leveraged New York’s brownfield cleanup program, utilizing substantial funds to eliminate toxins from the historic manufacturing past. The building also is located in one of the newly created federal Qualified Opportunity Zones, providing tax benefits for project investors.
A $24 million streetscape project is also slated for Louisiana Street, initiated by the City of Buffalo as a response to the project’s success. This will help to transform the neighborhood by adding bike lanes, bump outs, new sidewalks and other mobility-friendly features.
The project has been described as a transformative mixed-use redevelopment where old Buffalo meets new Buffalo.
What the Judges Said: “This project breathes a lot of new life into another area of the City of Buffalo that was in extreme need, redeveloping a historical building that embodies Buffalo's past," said one of the judges. “The creative amenities offered make the Buffalo area more attractive for talent and new residents and furthers the area's sense of place by repurposing vacant structures into livable places," noted another.
They Made it Happen: Karl Frizlen, president of the Frizlen Group and Michael Masters, president of BRD Construction were the developers behind the project, Matt Hatrich, president of Schneider Real Estate Services, provided commercial leasing.
CoStar Market Manager Coleman Applegate contributed.