HHL Architects developed the design of a mixed-use project involving six existing historic buildings in Buffalo’s Theater District. The buildings were renovated to form a complex which houses a museum, restaurants, retail space, offices, and housing. The centerpiece is the National Landmark, Market Arcade Building, originally designed in 1892 by renowned architects Green & Wicks. The design uses its three-story, glass-roofed, through-the-block atrium as an entryway to the two adjacent buildings. The NYS Urban Cultural Visitor Center and Empire State College are among the tenants.
Exterior masonry including stone, brick and terracotta was fully restored. Universal accessibility is provided using a single passenger lift shaft inserted between two of the buildings providing access to both simultaneously. This project also won the 1996 AIA Buffalo/WNY Chapter Restoration First Award.