Wood & Brooks Lofts

The Wood & Brooks Company has a long, rich history here in Buffalo. In 1901, Wood & Brooks founder, Charles Raymond Wood, opened a piano key factory in Tonawanda and in 1911, moved to the current Kenmore Avenue site. Wood choose Tonawanda because of its easy access to rail lines, lumber, and local piano manufacturers. In 1959, Wood & Brooks was sold to Sterling Precision Corp. and then to Chicago-based Aurora Corp. The factory, which once produced 125,000 piano keys yearly, closed altogether in 1970.

Frontier Insulation Contractors Inc. and Thermal Foams Inc. have owned the 183,968 sq. ft. complex for more than 50 years, where the Wopperer family is now developing the Wood & Brooks Lofts. The first phase of the project will focus on the main, six-story building, and a second phase may also include mixed-use development, focusing on the adjoining four-story building that was part of the original factory. Phase one will be anchored by 55 one- and two- bedroom market-rate apartments.

Construction for Phase 1 has begun and is scheduled to be complete in 2024.