Mark Miller is the owner of Soccer Shots - a program that teaches the fundamentals of the sport to kids.
The business serves thousands of families throughout Western New York and is based on the 28th floor of One Seneca Tower, a building Miller has seen go through quite the transition since he moved in four years ago.
“When we first moved in the building it was packed,” Miller told 7 Eyewitness News. “HSBC was here, there was a law firm here there was a few financial firms... it was busy.”
But two years after HSBC, a major tenant in Buffalo’s tallest building, left many shops and restaurants sit darkened, escalators run empty and a lone security guard monitors a completely empty lobby. Soccer Shots is now one of the last remaining tenants.
“We kind of joke, if I see another person in the elevator it's like, 'Hey! What are you doing here?'” Miller said.
It was in October that the 38-story tower was sold back to the mortgage holder at a public auction for $28 million, $15 million over value, according to a foreclosure appraisal.
The mortgage holder LNR has not released any future plans for the site, but Miller says he’s hopeful that the building will bounce back.
“It’s just a big transition period right now,” Miller said. “It’s a huge building it’s going to take a long time but over the next year two years I’m really excited to see what ends up happening to the building.”
Miller said the building is perfectly positioned. It's right in the heart of downtown with quick access to Pearl Street, Coca-Cola Field, and of course everything happening at Canalside. Plus, there's plenty of parking.
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