Buffalo Rising first ran this story (see the progress then) on July 21, 2006. It is about the spectacular and unlikely restoration of the wonderful shingle style house at 32 St. John's Street at the western edge of Allentown in Buffalo. A few of my recent stories have focused on the this West Allentown / Kleinhans neighborhood (with a few more planned). Of those recent stories the comment section on one of them turned to a discussion on crime. Often when I have shined a positive light on an edgy reemerging neighborhood like this one, several commenters will feel compelled to make sure everyone is aware of the city crime problem. Who can blame them for their concern?
Positive stories like the 32 St. John's story are not featured on local TV or in the Buffalo News. While local news media will provide exhaustive documentation of crime in the city they provide nothing documenting the positive stories such as the growing trend toward restoration of neighborhoods like the Kleinhans. So, since the BRO readership has grown substantially in the years since the original story on 32 St. John's first ran, I thought it appropriate to rerun it again now and make sure its story is known to as many people as possible. This magnificent house came very close to becoming a vacant lot. Thankfully, some hard work and perseverance by neighbors along with just enough cooperation from The City saved it. Since its restoration it has served to dramatically stabilize St. John's Street and has been credited as an inspiration for others to take on and save similar neglected properties. The most recent example of this inspiration is nearby 50 Orton Place which is nearing completion of a reportedly $300,000 restoration. Neighbors say 50 Orton had been reduced to little more than a shell by decades of absentee-owner neglect but that its new owners had confidence in their decision to restore it because of 32 St. John's. The original St. John's story follows with a minor factual correction and updated images. So without further adieu 32 St. John's again:
Then and Now: Proof of Life After Death
32 St John's Place, built in the late 1800's served as a grand residence for many years. After gradual decline to status as a rooming house it had finally sunk to a devastating low point following an arson fire in 1998 followed by owner abandonment. The house sat open to the weather blighting this very picturesque urban street on the western edge of the Allentown neighborhood. Even though it was structurally sound and was part of the Allentown Historic Preservation District (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) it was in grave danger of being torn down. The overly common first reaction to situations like this is to call for demolition. This knee jerk action may solve a problem in the short run but eliminates so many potential benefits in the future. This way of thinking would have you believe the building is not repairable and that the neighborhood does not justify the expenditure of money needed to make it habitable again. Fortunately for Buffalo a new way of thinking about the city is emerging and gaining strength led by dedicated neighborhood groups who cherish the irreplaceable city fabric that makes Buffalo's streets so extraordinary.
After the city of Buffalo took possession of the house for non-payment of taxes in 2000 (to my knowledge no other penalty was leveled against the owner) citizen activist groups (Allentown Association, the Kleinhans Community Association Block Club, and Preservation Coalition of Erie County) joined forces to save the building. They actively marketed the building and made efforts to seal it against further damage. The local neighborhood group, Kleinhans Community Association Block Club, posted regular updates on their web site and made sure that city officials knew that area neighbors were fully in support of saving this valuable piece of urban fabric. Without this kind of grass roots effort by regular citizens this building (and neighborhood) would most surely have been lost.
Because of active involvement in their surroundings the people of Buffalo are starting to take back the city. They no longer wait for someone else to step in and do something. These kinds of activities, more than anything, show that the Buffalo of today is a very different place than in the recent past. This house and its street were saved due to this kind of activism. It has a new owner who is currently performing a first class renovation including a complete restoration of all the original windows, a new porch and new cedar siding. The interior will be completely new as well. It will include a small apartment with a majority of the space dedicated to the owners home. They are reportedly spending over $200,000 on the project. This in a neighborhood where prices for a house can be as low as $10,000. In the past a major investment of this kind would have been unthinkable in an edgy neighborhood such as this. Now houses are commonly selling in the 6 figure range. There is much work to be done in this and many other Buffalo neighborhoods and the old "tear it down mentality" is still very strong. But, stunning examples of renewal like 32 St. John's will gradually shine a light on the path Buffalo needs to follow to its rebirth. Welcome to the world again 32 St. John's!
View image
Positive stories like the 32 St. John's story are not featured on local TV or in the Buffalo News. While local news media will provide exhaustive documentation of crime in the city they provide nothing documenting the positive stories such as the growing trend toward restoration of neighborhoods like the Kleinhans. So, since the BRO readership has grown substantially in the years since the original story on 32 St. John's first ran, I thought it appropriate to rerun it again now and make sure its story is known to as many people as possible. This magnificent house came very close to becoming a vacant lot. Thankfully, some hard work and perseverance by neighbors along with just enough cooperation from The City saved it. Since its restoration it has served to dramatically stabilize St. John's Street and has been credited as an inspiration for others to take on and save similar neglected properties. The most recent example of this inspiration is nearby 50 Orton Place which is nearing completion of a reportedly $300,000 restoration. Neighbors say 50 Orton had been reduced to little more than a shell by decades of absentee-owner neglect but that its new owners had confidence in their decision to restore it because of 32 St. John's. The original St. John's story follows with a minor factual correction and updated images. So without further adieu 32 St. John's again:
Then and Now: Proof of Life After Death
32 St John's Place, built in the late 1800's served as a grand residence for many years. After gradual decline to status as a rooming house it had finally sunk to a devastating low point following an arson fire in 1998 followed by owner abandonment. The house sat open to the weather blighting this very picturesque urban street on the western edge of the Allentown neighborhood. Even though it was structurally sound and was part of the Allentown Historic Preservation District (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) it was in grave danger of being torn down. The overly common first reaction to situations like this is to call for demolition. This knee jerk action may solve a problem in the short run but eliminates so many potential benefits in the future. This way of thinking would have you believe the building is not repairable and that the neighborhood does not justify the expenditure of money needed to make it habitable again. Fortunately for Buffalo a new way of thinking about the city is emerging and gaining strength led by dedicated neighborhood groups who cherish the irreplaceable city fabric that makes Buffalo's streets so extraordinary.
After the city of Buffalo took possession of the house for non-payment of taxes in 2000 (to my knowledge no other penalty was leveled against the owner) citizen activist groups (Allentown Association, the Kleinhans Community Association Block Club, and Preservation Coalition of Erie County) joined forces to save the building. They actively marketed the building and made efforts to seal it against further damage. The local neighborhood group, Kleinhans Community Association Block Club, posted regular updates on their web site and made sure that city officials knew that area neighbors were fully in support of saving this valuable piece of urban fabric. Without this kind of grass roots effort by regular citizens this building (and neighborhood) would most surely have been lost.
Because of active involvement in their surroundings the people of Buffalo are starting to take back the city. They no longer wait for someone else to step in and do something. These kinds of activities, more than anything, show that the Buffalo of today is a very different place than in the recent past. This house and its street were saved due to this kind of activism. It has a new owner who is currently performing a first class renovation including a complete restoration of all the original windows, a new porch and new cedar siding. The interior will be completely new as well. It will include a small apartment with a majority of the space dedicated to the owners home. They are reportedly spending over $200,000 on the project. This in a neighborhood where prices for a house can be as low as $10,000. In the past a major investment of this kind would have been unthinkable in an edgy neighborhood such as this. Now houses are commonly selling in the 6 figure range. There is much work to be done in this and many other Buffalo neighborhoods and the old "tear it down mentality" is still very strong. But, stunning examples of renewal like 32 St. John's will gradually shine a light on the path Buffalo needs to follow to its rebirth. Welcome to the world again 32 St. John's!
Great article David with some very relevant and often overlooked points. Glad to see this reposted as I have never seen it before, perhaps you should do this with some more articles.