By JAMES FINK
Business First

Buffalo developer Sam Savarino has agreed to step forward and save the former White Bros. Livery & Boarding Stable on the city's West Side.

The three-story, circa 1870 Jersey Street building has been the subject of a tug of war between Buffalo, nearby residents and preservationists and its current owner, local businessman Robert Freudenheim. The issue came to a head in mid-June when portions of the building began to crumble during a wind- and rainstorm.

The city initially ordered the building razed, citing concerns for nearby residents and their homes, but neighbors and preservationists began to cry foul, claiming the structure could be saved. The issue ended up in court.

Savarino's interest in the building became public during a session Tuesday morning before State Supreme Court Justice Hon. Christopher Burns. Burns, who said he will closely monitor the situation, agreed to put off any further proceedings until Sept. 2.

Savarino has agreed to purchase the livery from Freudenheim for $1 and has also agreed to assume any of the liens the city has placed on the property. Buffalo had invested $397,000 in its emergency partial demolition of the building. The demolition has been on hold pending court proceedings.

"Is the building salvageable? Yes," Savarino said. "To what degree, I don't know today, but we will soon."

Savarino said he hopes to, at the very least, preserve the first two floors of the livery's facade along with as much as 20 feet of the rear wall and portions of the side walls.

He is thinking of using the first floor as covered and secured parking for either condominiums or apartments he has planned for the upper floors.

"With a little bit of creativity, I know most of the building can be saved," Savarino said.

No price tag has been determined for the project.

Once plans are in place, Savarino said he will present them to various boards and agencies within Buffalo City Hall for approval. Construction could begin this year.

Savarino will outline his preliminary thoughts about the building's future Tuesday night during an informal meeting with Jersey Street residents.

"I'm not going to do anything there unless I make sure the neighbors are fully involved and up to speed," Savarino said.

Savarino was approached to take a look at the building by Jersey Street residents and some members of the preservation community. A team of construction-industry experts, he said, concluded almost unanimously that the livery could be saved, but not without a considerable investment.

Savarino's portfolio is dotted with a number of historical-preservation projects, including conversion of several former warehouses along Mississippi and Perry streets dating to the early 1900s into offices, restaurants and apartments and transforming a century-old Elmwood Avenue building into a charter school.

"I know what I'm getting into with this building," he said. "It won't be easy, but it can be done."

"It has always been my goal to find a solution for the livery and to help preserve the building and ultimately re-developed for future use," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. "We have that now."