Adelphia picks HOK for downtown office design
Business First of Buffalo - by James Fink Business First
Adelphia Communications Corp. has named an architectural team headed by nationally-known Hellmuth Obata & Kassabaum for its downtown Buffalo regional operation.
To many, the naming of the HOK team, which includes the Amherst-based Wendel Duchscherer as its local partner, carries significant weight.
The project has the potential to be a new symbol for the Buffalo and Western New York of the 21st century.
On one level, it's a key symbol that the much discussed and long awaited Adelphia project is moving from the drawing board to the reality stages. Adelphia, announced nearly two years ago, it was building its regional operations headquarters on downtown Buffalo's "Webster Block", a surface parking lot adjacent to HSBC Arena and HSBC Atrium.
For a region where many grandiose plans are announced, but few are delivered, there has been a certain level of skepticism about the project as it has taken about two years to get the first shovel in the ground for the $125 million project.
Much of the delays were the result of Adelphia's internal due diligence and its negotiations with various public sector entities including the City of Buffalo, Erie County and the state.
Tim Rigas, Adelphia executive vice president, admitted his company's actions may be considered slow in some quarters.
"Our actions have been very deliberate," Rigas said. "We didn't want to rush into this."
The delays did cause Adelphia to revamp its original plans for the structure. Gone were plans for a Buffalo Sabres' practice facility and hotel. It will still house Adelphia corporate offices and its Empire Sports Network/WNSA television and radio operations.
Rigas said he expects the building to be 20 to 25 stories and have about 500,000-square-feet. For Adelphia, it is the largest building the company has constructed. It is nearly five times the size of its Coudersport, Pa., headquarters, which is expected to open in few months.
There will also be direct connections between the building and HSBC Arena, home to the Sabres', a team owned by the Rigas family, founders and owners of Adelphia, the nation's sixth largest cable operator.
Rigas said the building could ultimately help generate about $14 million in new revenues for the Sabres, mostly through corporate tie-ins involving suites and signnage.
"It creates visibility and new money for Western New York," he said.
Rigas agrees the project's impact goes far beyond what it will mean for his company and its holdings. The Rigas family keenly understands what the building symbolizes for Western New York.
"We are in a fairly unique situation," Rigas said. "We realize we are urban pioneers and for that reason, we want this to be successful."
Erie County Executive Joel Giambra concurs.
"This is an important project for Western New York for number of reasons, not the least of which on a psychological level," Giambra said. "From a national perspective, it will open a lot of eyes."
Buffalo, armed with an array of public sector incentives, was able to secure the project, despite heavy competition from other cities and regions.
The building, which could house at least 1,000 workers, is being viewed a critical foundation for development efforts not only in the lower Main Street/Inner Harbor area, but also the region.
"It is a pivotal project for the region," said James Allen, executive director of the Amherst and Erie County Industrial Development Agencies. "We need a signature project on the waterfront and this gives us that project."
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