A rebirth for Parish Commons
Office complex damaged by 2007 fire readies for reopening
When fire tore through the Parish Commons office complex in the Elmwood Village in November 2007, Dr. Michael D. Calabrese was devastated.
His multidisciplinary medical practice had been housed there for nearly nine years. More recently, he had also become the building’s owner, devoting considerable energy to remodeling the Buffalo property. The blaze, which caused $5.2 million in damage, wiped out his efforts.
“It was kind of my baby,” Calabrese said.
But he didn’t give up. Calabrese couldn’t bear the thought of leaving behind a property that meant so much to him. And he dreamed of being able to bring his patients back there.
The project took longer than he expected, but the hard work is about to pay off. Calabrese’s business, Medical Care of Western New York at Buffalo, plans to return next month from its temporary location near Gates Circle, along with some new tenants.
The reopening will revive the prominent property at Elmwood Avenue and West Ferry Street, which began as the English Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in 1901 before it was converted to business offices decades later.
Calabrese has added “green” features, such as structurally insulated panels and dormers in the roof. Construction workers have managed to reuse century-old scotch pine that had been damaged in the fire. The interior was altered to create a more open layout, and additional windows were added to the complex.
“You’re letting the light in, and that’s the concept, because it was a dark church,” he said.
Calabrese has turned the 28,000- square-foot, L-shaped building into two buildings with different addresses. The part that runs perpendicular to Elmwood is being refurbished for Calabrese’s business and the tenants. The interior of the other half, where the fire started and runs parallel to Elmwood, remains unrestored. He is considering a variety of ideas for reusing it.
The return of activity inside Parish Commons is welcome news for the Elmwood Village, said Justin Azzarella, executive director of the Elmwood Village Association. He praised Calabrese for sticking with the project and preserving the property’s unique appeal.
“A different owner could have looked at it and said, ‘That’s a total loss, let’s (demolish) it,’” Azzarella said.
While Elmwood has a strong lineup of retailers, a property like Parish Commons adds an important office component, which draws more people into the area.
“We’re thrilled that it’s coming back online,” he said.
The tenants Parish Commons had prior to the blaze have gone elsewhere, but new tenants are on the way. One is Buffalo Advanced Medical, which uses a procedure called manipulation under anesthesia to make chiropractic adjustments. A dental group, an acupuncturist and Western New York MRI are also coming in.
About $1.8 million has been poured into restoring the complex thus far. Calabrese said his insurance company has provided some financial support, but he is awaiting a final settlement.
Walking through the complex, Calabrese eagerly pointed out details of the restoration as construction workers were busy sanding and painting wood.
Daylight poured into the area his medical practice will occupy. A mixture of wood, including cedar, pine and maple, will give the office space an unconventional look and what he hopes will be a tranquil feel. “The object here is the serenity, when they’re in pain and injured, to let the patient breathe,” Calabrese said.
While Calabrese is the guiding force behind the restoration, he has collaborated with his project manager, Kevin Mc- Carthy, and a team of workers to bring his vision to reality. He said he has focused on using local suppliers and contractors like Thermo Mechanical Services and MJM Electric. “Everything I have done is local, to give back to the city,” Calabrese said.
He calls a group of carpenters his “Ocean’s Eleven.” “They’re handpicked people who know how to do it,” he said.
The restored building will have a conference room, as it did before the fire, for use by the tenants. But in a new twist, he is also allowing the room to be rented in the evenings by nontenants, with catering available. He named the room for his late sister, Joanne L. Clementi, who started his practice with him.
As the restoration has moved along, passersby on Elmwood have offered compliments to Calabrese. A banner hanging on the building sums up his outlook: “We’ll survive. The building and community will thrive.”
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