Buffalo State celebrated the completion of the Karner Hall rehabilitation project with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on October 24. The $18.8 million rehabilitation project, designed by Flynn Battaglia Architects and constructed by contractors Telco Construction (Phase 1) and Huber Construction (Phase 2), started in fall 2021 and was completed this year.
Located on the west side of campus, Karner Hall is the new home to the University Police Department (UPD) as well as Custodial Services, Grounds shop, and shared general office, support space and storage.
“A renovation like this is more than just bricks and mortar,” President Bonita R. Durand, Ph.D., said. “It’s a reflection of how seriously we take the safety, accessibility and vibrancy of our university.”
Formerly known as Building 50, Karner Hall was built around 1956 as a manufacturing facility and used by Jewett Refrigerator Co. Inc. as a space to build refrigeration units. It was acquired by Buffalo State in 2003 and had largely been utilized by the campus as a storage facility with 92,050 gross square feet. The university initially completed a project in 2016 to replace the roof and rehabilitate the exterior.
The four main goals of the more recent, larger rehabilitation project included:
- Provide appropriately designed space to accommodate the needs of new departments/functions that will occupy the building: UPD, Custodial Services, Grounds shop, and shared general office, support space and storage.
- Renovate warehouse and dock space to improve its utilization, functionality, flexibility and safety.
- Provide exterior spaces to support grounds functions, including a secure fenced area for storage of groundskeeping vehicles, equipment, supplies and a new gasoline fueling station.
- Perform sitework improvements to serve visitors by creating a better link to the main campus pedestrian spine and designated visitor parking.