Building History

At its pinnacle, the Larkin Company was unquestionably one of the most innovative and successful marketing and manufacturing firms of its time.  John D. Larkin’s progressive business practices have been imitated across a wide range of companies and industries.  Now the partners of CityView Properties and LCo Building, LLC are proud to restore this historic building and renew the philosophical legacy of the Larkin Company.

The building offers 600,000 square feet on 10 floors of 60,000 square feet each.  The building is constructed of steel and concrete and has floor load capacities in excess of 225 pounds per square foot.  The building has been completely restored into a modern, state-of-the art, professional facility.

The history of Larkin at Exchange and its relation to the Larkin Companies and the history of Buffalo and Frank Lloyd Wright’s architecture is fascinating.  We would be pleased to loan you some reading materials if you are interested in this rich history.

Did you know trains railed through the length of this building?  That is why the column width on the 2 interior bases are wider than the column width along the window wall and the center bay passage.

Larkin at Exchange was named The Larkin Terminal and was built in one year - 1912.  The building was constructed to warehouse and distribute the many Larkin goods manufactured next door at the main manufacturing facility now known as 701 Seneca.  The Larkin Company made a wide variety of household items and goods beginning with soap and growing to include paint, coffee, toothpaste, china, furniture, and more.  The Larkin Company was the biggest mail-order company in the world in the first ½ of the 20th Century.  Mr. Larkin (John D.) was a true entrepreneur and could be considered the “Bill Gates” of his time; his company “The Microsoft” of its time.   Buffalo China was created by Mr. Larkin to produce china used for promotions/rewards for buying other Larkin Products, such as soap.  Even the Graphic Controls Corporation, which occupied this building during the middle to late 20th Century, spun out from the Larkin Companies in 1960.

When the Graphic Controls signs were removed from the exterior of the building outside the 10th floor, the original LCo signs were still in place as shown on historic photos.  These nearly 100-year-old signs have been refurbished and the LCo logo was reborn.

Visit our detailed web site to view historical photographs.