Renovations to Grover Cleveland High School and other area schools were highlighted in a nationwide advertising campaign by Johnson Controls Inc, a company responsible for making the 99-year-old school building energy-efficient.
The $1.4 billion dollar renovation project is the largest preservation initiative ever attempted in the area, said Elena Cala, special assistant to the superintendent for public relations at Buffalo Public Schools.
“I think the scope of this Buffalo project is so huge, and the buildings are so phenomenal,” Cala said.
Local construction company LP Ciminelli contracted Johnson Controls to make the schools energy-efficient while preserving their historic elements.Johnson Controls contacted Cala’s office with a proposal to feature their work in Buffalo as part of an ad that would run in publications across the country.
Grover Cleveland has been closed since last summer for the renovations, so the ad featured local performing arts students in the foreground.
“It was a really slick photo shoot,” Cala said.
The advertisement has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Buffalo News and other publications. It will also be featured in the March issue of several business publications.
Grover Cleveland was a great choice for the ad because of its status as a historic landmark, said Paul McDonnell, Architect for the Buffalo Public Schools.
“It’s such an icon,” he said. “I can’t imagine the lower West Side without Grover Cleveland high school.” By Mike Canfield and Jacob Tierney
