A set of new renderings have been released by the Main Place Liberty Group, showcasing a new day for Main Street in Downtown Buffalo. For years, we have been patiently awaiting any sign of new life for this prime development area. And with so much development action taking place at Seneca One, and further down at Canalside, the time has finally arrived to reinvent the Main Place Mall. If you missed the recent announcement, for office space plans at the mall site, click here for further information.

As for the new plan, Violet Realty – the privately-held commercial real estate company owned by Patrick Hotung (owner of the property) – is looking to breathe life into Main Place Mall. That will entail a $75 million redevelopment at 390 Main Street. The three large floor plate, 280,000 square feet mall, will be transitioned into office space with retail and amenity areas, in order to attract “the next generation of talent to occupy this creative, unique offering.”

“We are excited to partner with the City on this venture,” said Mr. Hotung. “We’ve had success attracting new information and technology tenants to our other projects, specifically in San Francisco and Chicago. We’re tapping into our expertise to take the Main Place Mall, and Buffalo, and put it on the national stage.”

The project is in the initial stages and contingent on recruiting tenants, but the renderings, which can be seen here, include:

A complete renovation of the exterior, including a new architectural ribbon spanning Main Street and Church Street

A large-scale food hall (lead image) and roof garden/outdoor lounge, keystones of a broader amenity package available to tenants of the building

Office space on the ground floor, Main Street side and on the third floor with expansive skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows

Hotung added, “We know the community, elected officials and local businesses will have a lot of questions at this point. Although we don’t have all the answers, what we can say is that our team has invested time and energy into this project because we believe a development like this can happen in Buffalo. With the support of Mayor Brown and hopefully others in the community, we’re ready to reactivate one of Buffalo’s premier locations.”