South Buffalo is in line to get a significant live music venue. Schneider Development Services is embarking upon a multi-million dollar project that will see a historic former Liberty Bank building (circa 1921) transformed into a 400-person live music venue that will feature a full-size live performance stage, a kitchen and bar providing fast casual service, a flexible seating plan on the main floor, and a mezzanine viewing area.
The development team considered an array of options before settling on the live music venue concept, which is being called “The Caz.”
According to Jake Schneider, President of Schneider Development, the 3,800 square-foot building, located on Seneca Street, is an ideal spot for live music. Essentially, the live music aspect fills a void that was created when the Shea’s Seneca building shuttered years ago. Being a musician himself, Schneider understands the impact that a venue of this nature can have on a community.
Schneider Development purchased the building in 2017 while the company was redeveloping the Shea’s Seneca project, located one block to the north on Seneca Street.
“The last live music venue along Seneca Street that I am aware of was on the second floor of the Shea’s Seneca building, The Skyroom,” said Schneider. “That closed years before I took control of the building, but that’s why we called the apartments, The Skyroom Lofts.”
The architectural elements of The CAZ will lend towards the creation of a very cool music setting, with its 30-foot ceiling heights, stained-glass windows, plaster ceilings, and terrazzo flooring. The building still has walk-in vaults with security boxes, adding to the mystique and allure of the club. It turns out, that while many of these design assets were not conducive for a more traditional retail concept, they were ideal for a live music setting.
“We looked at a lot of concepts,” said Schneider. “But I always felt whatever went in here had to be some sort of destination retail concept – something that would add to the momentum on Seneca Street.”
“The building had a lot of appealing attributes,” Schneider added.“It was a beautiful historic structure and in good shape. It had plenty of parking. And with the right plan, I knew we could create some synergy with the Shea’s Seneca project across the street and the other developments along Seneca. We are calling the venue, The CAZ, in homage to the neighborhood and magnificent Olmsted Park just a stone’s throw from the building.”
“The size of the space presented some challenges for your typical restaurant or brewery operator,” said Matt Hartrich, VP of Schneider Development Services. “It would have required a very sizable upfront investment to build out the tenant portion of the space to a code-compliant restaurant or entertainment venue. Even before inflation took off, it priced out most tenants who were interested in the space.”
Being a musician and a fan of live music, Schneider decided to embark upon the project himself. To ensure that he was heading in the right direction, he met with a number of experts in Buffalo’s live music industry, who were enthusiastic about the concept.
An experienced management team is now in place, which will handle all of the operational undertakings of the venue moving forward.
The live music element will be a great fit for an ever-evolving Seneca Street that is home to a bevy of restaurants, cafés, retail and ice cream shops, and opportunities galore. With every new adaptive reuse project, the neighborhood is reenergized and reimagined. The addition of a significant live music venue, in such a spectacular setting, will add to the energetic ripple effect that can already be felt up and down the street.
Construction on the project is set to begin in early 2023 and finished by the end of the year.
The CAZ | 2221 Seneca Street
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