After selling its Atrium Building to Douglas Development in December and consolidating its local workforce into offices on Walden Avenue in Depew, HSBC is planning to return to the city but in the Larkin District. According to The Buffalo News, HSBC will be taking over the Larkin U Building on Van Rensselaer Street which Key Bank recently vacated. HSBC expects to move into the space this fall.
The 63,000 sq.ft. Larkin U Building at 239 Van Rensselaer Street was renovated in 2011 by Larkin Development Group and is leasing the space to HSBC. The three-story brick building with Medina sandstone accents is designed in the decorative Romanesque Revival style. The primary western façade features a series of large arcaded arches which contain windows and a central entry door. Originally constructed in 1893 by D. Ullman Sons, a large-scale industrial salvage and recycling firm, the Larkin Company purchased the building in 1911. After renovations, First Niagara Bank occupied the building and after First Niagara was acquired by KeyCorp in 2015, Key Bank.
Although HSBC employs 2,000 locally, the bank has drastically reduced its office space footprint due to its employees being on a hybrid work schedule. The bank’s move further solidifies the Larkin District as a back office and finance hub joining Key Bank and M&T Bank that have offices in neighboring buildings.
Source: Buffalo Rising
