Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Although it may have taken a bit longer than originally expected, renovations to the new and improved Buffalo Convention Center downtown are officially completed.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz was joined by Public Works Commissioner Bill Geary, and others associated with the Convention Center on Tuesday to announce the completion of renovations to the building along Franklin Street.
"We're still trying to figure out what the convention center business is going to be going forward, but we know we need to bring conventions to our community. That's why we had to invest in this facility," said Poloncarz during a Tuesday press conference outside the Convention Center. T"he investments we made, which are less than approximately $10 million in total for all we talked about, are worth it when we talk about the return on investment we are getting from the conventions and businesses that will be coming to our community."
"We're extremely happy with it. The results are what we wanted. We wanted to impress our guests, our clients, and even our local customers that come in for different shows deserve a façade like this, an entry they'd be proud of and really walk into the facility with a different feeling. I think it really accomplished everything that we wanted it to really do," said general manager of the Buffalo Convention Center, Jeff Calkins.
The $6 million investment included the removal of the existing marquee and maintenance repairs to the façade, including a whole-building power washing, concrete panel repairs and joint recaulking/repointing.
Also as part of the renovations included the installation of a new façade with a new cladding system to cover the existing concrete panels. This includes new multi-color undulating metal panels on the street-facing portion of the building, adding a new colorful dimension to the downtown area.
"We've got very good value for that work," Poloncarz said. "As you see, there's new steel cladding, to represent the water of Lake Erie between the blues and the grays. And then there are plastic panels, which at night light up, and they can light up in any color combination. They are absolutely gorgeous. If you're here at night and you see them, or in the morning before the sun comes up, it is beautiful. I've had people drive by and say, 'Is that our convention center? I can't believe what it looks like now!', compared to the old drab, concrete façade."
Among the other improvements made at the Buffalo Convention Center as part of this project includes:
- New decorative linear grille soffit above the pedestrian sidewalk along Franklin Street on the Convention Center side of the street with improved lighting above the sidewalk for nighttime events.
- Reconfigured door entry for better flow of pedestrian traffic, as well as a more obvious entry/exit location for events. The doors include three 10-foot-wide sliding main entry doors with egress lead doors on either side of the main entrance.
- Revised curb layout developed in conjunction with the City of Buffalo to provide a loading and unloading zone with curb bumpout in front of the main entrance. This includes removable traffic-rated bollards in front of the main entrance for pedestrian safety during events.
- Enhanced wayfinding signage mounted to the underside of the upgraded soffit (three signs), along with two large display screens to show eventgoers where to enter, as well as advertise for upcoming events.
In addition, the convention center has bee rebranded once again, reverting back to the originally named "Buffalo Convention Center".
"We are proud of our community, we do not have to rely on Niagara Falls as a draw to this region anymore. People want to come to Buffalo, because of what we have here in Buffalo," said Poloncarz. "Just this last week, we had the National Stained Glass Association and the American Society of Mosaic Artists Convention in our community for the first time in decades, and they were thrilled with what they saw. They had an incredible time. They loved our architecture, they love the artwork in our communities. It just shows what we have, and we need to be proud of our community. That's why we've renamed it back to what it originally was, the Buffalo Convention Center, to remind everybody that this is Buffalo, we're proud of our community, we do not need to ride on the backs of our friends in Niagara County - even though we like Niagara Falls - as a draw for this convention center, because people want to come to Buffalo. It's as simple as that."
And while this project has been years in the making, Poloncarz says the work is not quite done yet to further enhance the experience at the Buffalo Convention Center.
"We're going to be investing more money over the next year or two to enhance the WiFi," Poloncarz said. "One of the things you often go when you get to a convention center is, 'What's the WiFi password? I want to be able to use the WiFi.' Well, we still need to strengthen the WiFi a little bit, so we're going to be putting more money into the Convention Center to ensure the WiFi is the best it can be."