The five-story Jenss Building in downtown Niagara Falls was constructed in 1916 and served as a Main Street anchor for the Jenss Brothers Department Store, a Western New York retail chain founded in 1887 by German immigrant brothers in Lockport, New York.

The company changed hands in 1951 when Harold Dautch acquired it, and by 1962, it had expanded to a flagship location in Amherst. The Niagara Falls store operated for decades before closing in 1995 amid competition from nearby retail centers, and has since become one of the city’s most recognizable historic commercial landmarks. Located at 1708 Main Street, it is an exemplar of early 20th-century department store architecture.

Its historic renovation will include 26 apartments and first-floor commercial space, including a food court, and will be part of the overall redevelopment of downtown Niagara Falls’ Main Street. Savarino will serve as Co-Developer and Construction Manager on the effort, and Savarino Properties will manage the property once it’s complete.