By KELSEY SWANEKAMP
Buffalo Law Journal

From the repurposed mansions on Millionaire's Row to the loft apartments in Elk Street Terminal, Buffalo has a history of turning historical structures into modern spaces.

And for some area law firms, this tradition of adaptive reuse lives on as they settle into historical buildings across the city.

Linda Joseph, a partner with Schröder Joseph & Associates, said her firm moved into a 19th-century mansion in 2004 because it was looking for a structure eligible for the Empire Zone tax credit.

The building, constructed in the 1850s, had been renovated prior to their moving in, which was a plus for Joseph.

"We didn't want to take on a huge construction project," she said. "We just put in our computers."

The firm did some minor updates, though, including lifting the carpets to reveal "beautiful inlaid floors." The offices sit on Ellicott Street, and face the Roswell Park Cancer Institute campus.

Selecting a property wasn't too intensive, said Joseph, because the mansion was the only one they found that fit their specifications.

Mark Longo, a partner with Block Colucci & Longo, said his firm is in the process of undergoing a renovation of its historic building. He and his colleagues plan to update the One Niagara Square space from its current 1970s style and give it more of a "loft feel" with hardwood floors.

The project, which Longo said the firm decided to take on just a few months ago, will take about three or four months to complete and will cost $100,000. Longo is the developer for the renovation, and an architect hasn't been decided, although the firm has heard several quotes.

While a historical property didn't top the firm's list of specifications for a new space - location and cost were top concerns for the firm - the building is on the E.B. Green historic registry.

Longo said that working out of an historical building is not wrought with frustrations.

"We were in the Statler for 35 years," said Longo. "That was frustrating."

Still, one minor drawback at the Niagara Square property is an older sewer system that he said tends to back up during heavy rains, resulting in water in the basement.

For Dennis Kahn, a partner with Siegel Kelleher & Kahn, the storied past of the firm's historical office building was a large part of its appeal.

The former home at 426 Franklin St. in the 1920s belonged to a couple who left it to their "rather eccentric" son - a cat lover who kept hundreds of cats inside the home. When neighbors hadn't seen him in several days, they called the police, who entered the building only to find that the man had passed away and the cats had run wild.

Such anecdotes are part of the appeal of the vintage building for Kahn. Also appealing is the neighborhood "in the heart of Allentown," which provides the convenience of close proximity to downtown while staying away from the "hustle and bustle," said Kahn.

By the time Siegel Kelleher moved there from a previous space in the Statler during the mid-70s, most of the renovation had already been done. Kahn said that the firm has worked to preserve the charm of the original structure.

"I don't like painting over wood," he said. "The integrity of the building is intact."

For two practice areas in particular - matrimonial law and personal injury - a cozy, warm space is essential in trying to make clients as comfortable as possible while they discuss upsetting circumstances.

"We work with people not acquainted with law offices," he said. "It's a traumatic time (for them)."

When it came time for the firm to expand, Kahn said he and his colleagues looked at a number of options, including moving into a high-rise or constructing a new building. But when the space next door opened up, the firm snapped up the property and integrated it into the original offices.

That building was the former office of WBLK-FM radio station, located just across Virginia Street from the firm's offices. Minor updates were required to transform the station into law offices, but the firm kept the structure largely intact.

Environmental consciousness, Kahn said, also played into the firm's decision to expand next door instead of constructing a new building.

While it is sometimes inconvenient to work out of two separate spaces, he said the benefits are worth it.

"We toyed with the idea of a walkway" to join the two buildings, Kahn said, "but we thought it would destroy the natural beauty."