Forgotten Buffalo: Historic & Hip...An Urban Explorer's Guide to the Buffalo-Niagara Region: Unique Landmarks, Historic Gin Mills, Old World Neighborhoods, History, Nickel City Oddities, Tours and More!
Wildroot Hair Tonic was introduced in Buffalo, New York in 1911 with the trademark "Wildroot" registered in 1932. The company was locally owned and operated until 1959 when purchased by the Colgate-Palmolive Co. for $10.5 million dollars. The 1937 Wildroot office building and factory still stand at 1740 Bailey Avenue between Broadway and Sycamore Streets. The 100,000 sq. foot structure has been vacant for over 25 years. THE WILDROOT LEGACY...
In 1951, the Western New York Foundation (formally called the Wildroot Foundation) was created with funds that came primarily from the former Wildroot Hair Tonic Company. Today, with assets of more than $13 million, it is Buffalo's eighth largest foundation. The Western New York Foundation provides funding to a very wide range of local organizations including most recently Buffalo Hearing and Speech, Buffalo Seminary, the Buffalo Urban League, Junior Achievement, a new program for children called Success by Six, WNED-TV, and the West Side Rowing Club.
