When it comes to M&T Bank Corp., Buffalo landlords will go a long way to keep the bank happy.
The Lafayette Court Building in downtown Buffalo has a brand new look for its first-floor lobby, after owner Ciminelli Real Estate Corp. spent nearly $5 million on a renovation to modernize the space as part of its effort to secure M&T’s second tech hub as the anchor tenant.
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Gone are the marble interiors, elegant fountains, plants and other corporate office features that characterized the lobby since the mid-1980s. Now it’s more industrial-chic and warehouse gray, with abundant open space, exposed lighting, ductwork and pipes overhead, a honeycomb architectural ceiling, geometric murals and overhead interior garage doors.
That’s consistent with the more contemporary and sleek look M&T sought for its tech hub on five of the building’s eight floors, where collaboration and openness is key. And that change to the lobby was part of the negotiation that kept M&T in the 190,000-square-foot building, where it occupies the entire third, fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth floors.
“For them to stay, we had to make it the quality that M&T would want,” said Executive Vice President Kyle Ciminelli. “We think we’ve accomplished that.”
It’s the second time that Ciminelli has overhauled the lobby of one of its downtown office buildings. Located at 465 Main St., Lafayette Court was built in 1903 as a department store, and…
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