The Colliers Government Solutions team represents owners of government-leased properties nationally. So, we travel a lot. This slideshow profiles my trip earlier this year to Buffalo, New York. (Use arrow buttons to advance slides)
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GSA Leased Locations
https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/Leased Locations.jpgBuffalo is home to 50 GSA leases totaling a little more than 1 million SF. Mirroring commercial development in the area, most of these leases are clustered in the downtown core, consistent with federal policy favoring central employment areas in site selection. Given its location nestled up against the Canadian border, it is no surprise that many of Buffalo's leases house elements of DHS, specifically Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
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Niagara Square
https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/Niagara Square.jpgThe heart of the Buffalo central employment area contains all of the classic elements of a government center, including municipal, state and federal buildings. Many of these are on Niagara Square (really more of a circle), Buffalo's city center. As a result, most leased space is a short walk from here.
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City Hall
https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/Municipal Building.jpgCity Hall has a "gotham city" vibe, making it one of the more spectacular historic buildings in Buffalo. Remarkably, Buffalo is home to one of the greatest collections of late-19th / early-20th century buildings in the U.S. Architecture buffs (like me) can find much to see.
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Robert H. Jackson U.S. Courthouse
https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/US Courthouse.jpegCompleted in 2011 at a total cost of $137 million, this courthouse is the most expensive federal building in the history of Western New York. The building was designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox and constructed to achieve LEED-NC Gold certification. The 284,000 SF building took nearly 5 years to complete, the process delayed in part by condensation inside the glass exterior that began causing mold during the construction. It's a good thing for the judiciary that this facility was finished when it was. At a price tag of nearly $500/SF it's hard to imagine the current Congress approving it. This photo is from across Niagara Square, standing next to the historic Michael J. Dillon courthouse, which the U.S. Courts vacated.
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One FBI Plaza
https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/FBI Building.JPGThis is the FBI Field Office, located in the heart of the downtown, almost directly across the street from the Jackson Federal Courthouse. Since the Murrah Building bombing in Oklahoma City in 1995 more than 40 FBI field offices were replaced, primarily by new construction. These new buildings provide much greater security, often with 100' standoff distance to a secure fenced perimeter. This is among the few legacy FBI field offices that were not re-built. With the FBI lease-construct program winding down, it is likely that will remain the case.
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Niagara Center
https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/130 Elmwood RESIZED.jpgThis is the largest federally leased building in Buffalo, occupied by two dozen federal tenants (and the New York State Appeals Court of Claims). This photo happened to be taken from the building across the street that formerly housed those same federal tenants until the discovery of asbestos in the building led the government to relocate here.
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The Former Federal Building
https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/Avant_dusk-thumb-400x600-14903.jpegThis is that "former federal building" mentioned in the previous slide. Once known as the Thaddeus J. Dulski Federal Building, it was vacated in 2005 and the federal tenants were relocated--most to 130 S. Elmwood Avenue (Niagara Center). The building stood in vacant limbo for a bit and was then redeveloped as a Best Western hotel topped by residential condos. If you travel to Buffalo, I can recommend this hotel.
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Niagara Falls
https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/Niagara Falls.JPGThough it was the dead of winter, I dutifully drove to Niagara Falls (about 20 minutes outside downtown Buffalo) because it's one of two local tourist spots you just have to visit. Unfortunately, I didn't so much see the falls as the mist rising from them. The prime spot to observe the action is from Terrapin Point, the plaza down below, but in the winter it's closed. The buildings you see in this picture are on the Canadian side. They say that's really the best vantage point from which to view the action. In any case, the falls are impressive, with more than 225,000 cubic feet per second cresting them at peak flow it's the roar that's most striking.
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The Anchor Bar
https://www.capitolmarkets.com/wp-content/uploads/slideshow-gallery/Anchor Bar RESIZED.pngThe second obligatory tourist spot is the Anchor Bar. I enjoyed this visit intensely because it is here that the Buffalo Wing was invented. In the 50 years since, the Anchor Bar has perfected its craft. The plaque at the bottom of the wooden indian tells the story of how Teressa Bellissimo created the Buffalo Wing here in 1964. Her inspiration to deep fry chicken wings, coat them in sauce and serve them with blue cheese dip was borne of the need to find a quick way to feed her son and his friends after they arrived late one night, home from college.
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