Main Street building saved

Matthew Chavez of the Land Bank posted this status to Facebook Tuesday.

“Last Week the Land Bank officially closed on 2010 Main St. in Niagara Falls, NY, and will now begin work to stabilize and secure this beauty!

“Heritage architecture, and a distinct urban form make Niagara Falls’ Main St. a tremendous place, and one worthy of revitalization. In the past few years, a number of key opportunities and investments have coalesced to create a moment of hope for an area ravaged by market forces such as losses to suburbanization, disinvestment, and neglect.

“Now is the time to seize an opportunity to make one of our Crown Jewels in the Empire State all that it truly can be. Once a thriving shopping district, Main St. Niagara Falls is the type of place they are now tearing down malls to build, a 'downtown center.' It’s already here, just waiting for new energy.

“I’ll leave you with this, and perhaps it’s the most important thing to remember: if there is water flowing over it, there’s hope for Niagara Falls. We can do it.”

Reached for comment, Chavez said plans are to evaluate the structure, plan for stabilization and shore it up before seeking interested developers.

“Maintenance has been neglected and things have gone unfixed for a while, so we are hoping to stem the damage and save what we can.

“As a land bank, our mission as a non-profit is to address vacant, abandoned and distressed properties and we are very eager to begin this project.”

Chavez said the Heritage Team at Keller Williams Real Estate was the broker, with Noah Munoz and David Harris getting full asking price of $40,000 for the 9,400 square-foot building which was built in 1910.