The Krog Group and BMW Management Company, (helmed by the trio of JCC Past President Bruce Wisbaum, JCC Trustee and Finance Committee Member Douglas St. Cyr and his wife Ashley St. Cyr), have opened the Trico Building Apartments in the historic Trico Plant #1 in downtown Buffalo.

Late on a rainy night in 1916, John R. Oishei was driving along Delaware Avenue and struck a bicyclist near the Virginia Street intersection. Although the cyclist was not injured, Oishei became obsessed with devising a better way to keep his windshield clear. He discovered engineer John W. Jepson’s hand-operated squeegee wiper, they became partners, and the rest is history.

Oishei founded Trico Products Corporation in 1917 to mass produce the windshield wiper and other automotive equipment. The adoption of his wiper by car manufacturers Pierce-Arrow, Cadillac, Packard, and Lincoln greatly helped Oishei’s early success. To keep up with the demand, Trico Plant #1, at the corner of Washington Street, was constructed in the 1920s and continued to expand the building throughout the years.

If you have driven Route 33 into downtown, the building is familiar to you. A hulking behemoth of a factory dominating the corner of Ellicott and Goodell, the building has been vacant for over 20 years – a stark reminder of Buffalo’s once glorious industrial history. At over 500,000 square feet, it is the third largest building in the city stretching two city blocks along Ellicott Street. For years, ideas came and went about what to do with the space, including outright demolition as the condition worsened over the years.

“We walked the building for the first time in 2016,” said Douglas St. Cyr. “It was in incredibly rough shape.” Ashley said, “The roof was seriously deteriorated. There was ponding water throughout the building.” At the time, owner and developer Peter Krog was planning to develop the space into a mixed-use facility incorporating commercial business space, an extended stay hotel, and apartments. “Since we have the experience in managing and leasing apartments, Peter brought us in to partner on that side of the project,” said Doug. The original design of the building was going to include approximately 105 hotel rooms, 133 apartments, and commercial space.

“In 2019, the project had been slowly chugging along with the initial Brownfield cleanup and environmental remediation, and then the pandemic hit,” Doug said. At that time, everything was up in the air, as the financing was no longer approved due to the hotel component of the building and the uncertainty surrounding the hospitality industry. After several more design alternatives from 2020-2021, they landed on a new layout including 242 apartments, and 60,000 square feet of commercial space. Funding was approved in June 2022 and construction began.

“This is our first historical adaptive reuse project. The Krog Group, who initiated this project and an experienced developer in adaptive reuse is an exceptional partner whom we are thrilled to be working alongside.” said Doug. “We need to make sure the exterior stays the same, the windows look relatively the same, and the original signage stays on the building as well.” Getting the windows custom manufactured and installed was a tremendous undertaking. As a prime example of a “daylight factory,” the Trico Plant #1 windows were sized to let in natural light and save on the energy costs of lighting factory spaces during the day. And, because of the unique layout of the building and incorporating studio, one-, two-, three-, and four- bedroom apartments, there are a staggering 77 distinctive floor plans, ranging in size from 585 to over 2,000 sq. ft. All have the original concrete columns, many with mushroom-style columns, that hold up the massive concrete floors. Most units have 14-foot-high ceilings. Some even have large private balconies overlooking the courtyard.

All will have access to a plethora of amenities for residents, including a rooftop terrace, a gym with sweeping city views, and a unique open work space including individual work pods that is reflective of the needs of today’s renters. Featured amenities also include indoor parking for 230 cars, 24 EV chargers, managed Wi-Fi, a rooftop dog park and dog wash station. In addition, all the apartments are set up to be controlled from the resident’s smartphone. From access control, to turning on the lights and setting the thermostat, the apartments have all been designed with modern conveniences in mind. “We have really learned a lot as we have continued to build this project out,” said Ashley. “It has been gratifying to see things go from an idea to a rendering, to reality.”

“It had been a while since we became involved in a new project, BMW was looking for the right project at the right time and we kept coming back to this, we knew it’d become a signature development for not only us, but the City of Buffalo. We welcomed our first residents last month, and it’s all coming together with new life in the building,” said Doug. “From what it was, to the fact that this will be home for so many now, is something we are really excited to be part of.”

Thanks to the partnership between Krog and BMW, this significant piece of Buffalo history has been given a new lease on life. Now, when drivers exit Route 33, and they once again see the building lit up, it will be with the promise of the continued revitalization of our city.