Latest Structures Page 162

Batavia Gas Light Company, Gasholder Houses, Batavia New York

The gasholders at Batavia are typical examples of structures built throughout the Northeast during the 19^th Century for the storage of gas. Originally built by the Batavia Gas and Electric Company. Currently owned by the National Fuel Gas Company.

More...

United Presbyterian Church, Perth New York

There is a typewritten sermon preached by one of the ministers a number of years ago which tells how one of the people who assisted in the building of this church had a relative who manufactured the brick of which the church is-built. Unfortunately we were not able to attain a copy of this, we have little other information about this structure. Exterior brick of the common burnt red variety manufactured locally in this neighborhood; metal roof, Interior, plaster walls with white: wood work. The following is from the book HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY published in 1892: The United Presbyterian church of Broadalbin is located at Perth Centre, the organization of tile society having taken place under the name of The

More...

Fox Theatre, Brooklyn New York

The Fox Theatre in Brooklyn represented the moving picture theatre in its prodigious phase. With a 4,305 seating capacity, the theatre was one of the largest ever built. Stylistically, it exemplified creative eclecticism, combining East Indian, Baroque, and Art Deco elements into an imaginative and novel blend. A principal showplace of metropolitan New York City, it was initially a major link in the chain of theatres forged by motion picture mogul William Fox. The Theatre was owned and operated by the William Fox Theatre Corporation from 1928 to 1934.
In 1937 it was leased to Fabian Enterprises by the Brooklyn Fox Corporation, Continental Bank & Trust Co, Trestee in Possession.
In 1962 Brooklyn Fox Corporation sold the theatre to

More...

Old Court House, Johnston New York

Samuel Fuller, architect of Schenectady, was also the architect of several other buildings for Sir William. This building served the county of Tryon as jail-court house from 1772 to 1784, and the county of Montgomery from 1734 to 1836, when the county seat was moved to Fonda. In 1838 Fulton County was formed, and this jail-court house has since been used as such. The laying of the corner stone on June 26, 1772, was quite an event. Britishers, Hollanders, Palatine, and Mohawk warriors attended; Sir William Johnson with British officers and soldiers added brilliancy to the occasion, and over all the group waved the British flag. On October 26, 1775, the Tryon County Revolutionary Committee inquired of Sir William Johnson if

More...

Lefferts House, Brooklyn New York

This house is located near the Empire Boulevard entrance to Prospect Park. Previous to 1918 it was located at 563 Flatbush Avenue, on the west side of the street, between Midwood and Maple Streets. Originally, it was on a tract of land which was purchased from the Indians by the early Dutch settlers in the early part of the 17^th century. In 1654 this plot became part of a village which the Dutch called Midwout or Middle Woods, and now as known as Flatbush. In 1660 Lefferts Pietersen van Hagewout, the elder, came to America from Holland and received this parcel of land from the Dutch governor, Peter Stuyvesant. Lefferts Pietersen van Hagewout erected the original house some time after his

More...

Ansley Wilcox House (Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site), Buffalo New York

The Ansley Wilcox House was originally part of an Army post--Poinsett Barracks--which was established in 1838. After 1883, the interior was remodeled and an earlier frame addition was rebuilt. On September 14, 1901, in the library of the Ansley Wilcox House, Vice-president Theodore Roosevelt took the Oath of Office of the President of the United States. The house was declared a National Historic Site in 1966. The Poinsett Barracks were constructed immediately following the outbreak of the Patriot's War in 1837, as part of a defense against possible combat with the British Canadians. Poinsett Barracks was named for the Secretary of War under Martin Van Buren, Joel Roberts Poinsett, Poinsett was also Ambassador to Mexico and named the poinsettia plant. In

More...

State Lunatic Asylum (Buffalo State Hospital), Buffalo New York

The Buffalo State Hospital is a monumental structure which was designed for strictly utilitarian or institutional purposes. The exterior presentation of the Administration Building has strength of massing and aesthetic scaling to material. The wards, although themselves not innovative in design, were part of an over-all design which was well conceived and well-landscaped. The building was designed in the summer of 1870, following a very informal competition. The final design was probably settled in 1871. Excavation began in June, 1871. The cornerstone was laid on September 18, 1872. By 1880, the Administration Building, Male Wards A, B, C, D, and E, and all service buildings were completed. Female Wards were completed between 1890 and 1900. The general plan was determined by

More...

Fort Herkimer Church, Herkimer New York

Following the settlement of the Palatines, of Protestant faith, on the German Flats (from 1720 to 1725), they here built a log church and organized this society, probably about 1723. This was the beginning off the Fort Herkimer Reformed Dutch Church. It is probable that a log church was built at present Herkimer at about the same time. Sept. 24, 1730, Nicholas Welleven (Woolever) transferred to the church organization, Lot. No. 30 of the original Burnetsfield patent of 1725, which he drew in the original allotment. This is the church lot on which the present structure stands and the first work on the edifice was probably begun soon after the granting of the deed. Appeals for church buildings funds were made

More...

Indian Castle Church, Fort Hendrick Danube New York

This church was built in 1769 by Capt, Samuel Clyde for Sir William Johnson, who presented it to the Canajoharies, (Mohawks of the Upper or Canajoharie Mohawks Castle) in 1770. It is the only Colonial Indian Mission Church standing in New York State and the only surviving Colonial building of the Mohawks or Iroquois Castles. The church was built on land owned by Joseph Brandt, the famous Mohawk Chieftain, who was noted for his pity and who translated the gospel of St. Mark into the Mohawk language. During the Revolution, the Mohawk Indian raiders, formerly residents here, attempted to steal the bell of this old church. They, however, neglected to fasten its clapper and its ringing awakened the parish settlers who

More...

Old Leeds Bridge, Leeds New York

Leeds Bridge, spanning the Catskill at the Village of Leeds in Greene County, is in fact part of New York State Highway number 23, which runs northwest from the Town of Catskill. The first bridge across this stream was made of wood, but due to spring rains, sometime prior to 1760, it was partly swept away. About 1760 the missing part, or east end, was replaced by two arches of stone. In 1785 the remaining wooden portion burned, and this necessitated the building of the two western stone arches. The western arches were built in 1792 at a cost of 300 pounds. The Catskill Packet of August 6, 1792 notes: on Thursday the 26^th ult. was completed the erecting of a

More...

St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Buffalo New York

St. Paul's Cathedral is located near a site of a cannon mount for the defense of Buffalo during the War of 1812. The original frame church, built in 1819-21, was the first permanent church building in western New York. St. Paul's Cathedral was constructed during the rectorship of Rev. William Shelton. As a follower of the Oxford Movement, which advocated a return to High-Church practices, Shelton perhaps influenced the selection of Upjohn as architect. Upjohn, at mid-century, was one of several architects working within the accepted mode of the Gothic Revival as prescribed by the New York Ecclesiological Society. This organization set forth architectural requirements and preferences for the construction of churches based on the English parish-church style. It is interesting

More...

St. Louis Roman Catholic Church, Buffalo New York

In 1829, the land was donated to the Roman Catholic community by Louis LeCouteule as a result of persuasion by Father Eadin. After receipt of the property in 1829, the congregation under the direction of Father Merty completed a log structure in 1832. A brick structure, considered at the time of its completion in 1843, to be the largest church building in the United States, was built under the direction of Father Pax. A fire of March 25, 1885, in a nearby building spread to the church, leveling the structure. Immediately after the fire the congregation erected a temporary wooden structure which was used until the present church was completed in 1889. The church was consecrated in 1913.

More...

Prudential Building (Guaranty Building), Buffalo New York

Built by the Guaranty Building Company, the Prudential Building was sold in 1895, to the Chicago Syndicate headed by Leonard Downis. In 1945, it was owned by the Prudential Company. The Buffalo Holding Company purchased the building in 1955. When the building was planned and opened, the United States Weather Bureau occupied the northwest corner office suite on the thirteenth floor. The original owner and operator of the Prudential Building, the Guaranty Building Company, had as its officers in 1896, George M. Moulton, President; W. D. Richardson, Vice-President; Charles H. Keep, Treasurer; and George Baker Long, Secretary. The building was renamed the Prudential Building in 1899. On February 21, 1974, a fire on the tenth floor resulted in severe smoke and

More...

W.L. Rice Homestead, Riceville - Town of Mayfield New York

Since 16S2 when the first of the Rice family came from England and settled at New London, Connecticut, thirteen generations have lived in this country. Of these, six generations have occupied the homestead at Riceville. Covering a period of over 150 years the Rice Homestead has been occupied by successive generations of this family, and was built by Oliver Rice a soldier of the American Revolution. The rear room of the house was built by Salem Burr, a relative of the family, but the main portion of the house was built by Oliver Rice with day labor, and was about three years in course of construction. The bricks in the house (about 40,000) were made on the place as well as

More...

Darwin D. Martin House, Buffalo New York

This Prairie house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1904, is important in the development of a large private residence that contains open and versatile interior spaces. This concept of a single-family dwelling was not prevalent in American domestic architecture until thirty years later. The house was designated a Buffalo and Erie County Historical Site, November 16, 1971. Darwin Martin appears to have met Frank Lloyd Wright in Oak Park, Illinois, in 1903. Martin and his brother, W. E. Martin, were out driving and passed Wright's studio. They were intrigued by its appearance and stopped to call on the owner. That same afternoon Wright received a commission for a house from W. E. Martin, 636 North East Avenue, Oak Park. In

More...

Kremlin Building, Buffalo New York

The Kremlin Building or Hall, constructed as a multiple-use commercial structure, was a good example of mid-19th-century Buffalo architecture. The building was demolished in 1965-66. For many years Kremlin Hall was a favorite meeting place for politicians. With a seating capacity of nearly 1,000, the Hall was the center for numerous debates. Legend states that the name was given to the structure because it was erected in the midst of property which had been devastated in the war of 1812, just as the Kremlin in Moscow was built on a site of ruins. According to an article published in the Buffalo Evening News, November 14, 1945, Kremlin Hail was built in 1854-55, by Dr. N. H. Loomis and Oliver Bugbee for

More...

Erie County Savings Bank, Buffalo New York

As an important center of Buffalo's financial community, the Erie County Savings Bank marked the lower section of the commercial district. The other structures surrounding the square include Sullivan's Prudential Building, Burnham's Ellicott Square Building, and Upjohn's St. Paul's Cathedral. The Erie County Savings Bank was demolished in 1968. An Historical Sketch of the Erie County Savings Bank written in 1909, pp. 63-74, included the following notes on the original plan and construction of the building: The banking house is on a triangular lot, and is nine stories high on Main Street side and ten on the Pearl Street side, exclusive of attic and cellar. The second story is mezzanine, above this are seven stories for offices. The original plans provided

More...

William Dorsheimer House, Buffalo New York

William Dorsheimer was District Attorney, District of Northern New York, 1867 to 1871. He was the Lieutenant-Governor of New York from January 1, 1875, to December 31, 1879. Dorsheimer was also Mayor of Buffalo, and very active in Buffalo's Fine Arts Academy and Board of Park Commissioners. This latter group was established in 1869. On August 25, 1868, a group of Buffalo residents began a movement for the creation of a proper system of public parks, before the further growth of the city made it more difficult and costly to secure desirable lands. Dorsheimer was on the committee--which included Joseph Warren, Pascal Paoli Pratt, Sherman S. Jewett, and Richard Flach--whose members, at their own expense, hired Frederick Law Olmsted to survey

More...

Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Terminal - Boat Depot, Buffalo New York

The Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western (DL&W) Railroad Terminal Complex was a regionally significant structure within the context of transportation. The DL&W was the oldest railroad station existing in Buffalo in 1979. It was also the last of the five stations which operated in Buffalo in 1923 at the city's zenith as a major rail center. Set on a prominent riverfront site, it retained its integrity of design. The 8.1 acre site, which was sold by the City of Buffalo and Conrail to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority in 1979, is bounded on the north by South Park Avenue, west by the Skyway, south by the Buffalo River and east by Michigan Avenue. The terminal complex consisted of four structures, the train

More...

Cary House, Buffalo New York

This large, 2-1/2-story French Second-Empire brick house with Gothic details was located at the southern residential end of Delaware Avenue--a broad, tree lined street with large prestigious homes of Buffalo's wealthy citizens. The house was irregular in plan, had projecting bays with wooden detailing, a mansard roof with pointed-arch dormer windows, and exterior window label moldings--all accented by a three-story octagonal entrance tower topped by an octagonal cupola with crenelated wooden parapet. The structure burned on July 10, 1965. Until the building was vacated in May 1965 to make way for demolition, it was occupied for several years by the Normandy Restaurant. It is known that ceilings were lowered and other modifications made to adapt the residence to restaurant use. Demolished,

More...