There’s a preservation battle brewing on Tillinghast Place. Neighbors have reached out to BRO with the concern that the owners of a circa 1908 prairie style house have submitted a request to tear the house down. The reason? A fire in one of the rooms that was apparently contained. Unfortunately, word is that the owners have since shut off the utilities, including the water, and are looking to demolish and rebuild. They have also expressed a sense of urgency, due to inclement weather around the corner.
There is an appeal from residents of the neighborhood to put the breaks on, and to research the historic and architectural significance of the structure, as well as the true condition of the structure. Residents feel that the house is a part of the historic fabric of the neighborhood. They feel that the fire was not nearly as bad as the owners have purported. The only interior photos that have been submitted to Preservation Board are from the sole room that was damaged by the fire. If the rest of the house is salvageable, then why knock it down, unless the owners are simply looking at an opportunity/window to build anew.
This type of controversy has circled about before, with other historic properties at risk from owners who want to rebuild rather than maintain. The question is, is our historic architectural stock at the disposal of the individual home owners, or is there a greater preservation doctrine that helps to preserve our architectural stock for everyone to cherish? Neighbors have stated that 29 Tillinghast Place is a rare example of prairie style housing that should be preserved. But the house is not landmarked, which means that things are looking grim.
It was just discovered that the owners have applied for demolition. The house is going before the City of Buffalo Preservation Board on Thursday (see below). That’s not a lot of time to research the history. Neighbors are now left scrambling to come up with a stance and a plan of action. They are asking the community to help identify historic information pertaining to the house. Owners have stated that they have done everything possible to save the house, and restoring the woodwork would be cost prohibitive. It would be interesting to see if a third party would agree. But chances are, this house is heading for a landfill.
From the Preservation Board application:
On November 8, 2016 our home at 29 Tillinghast Place, Buffalo, NY 14216 which we have owned since 1994, suffered a catastrophic fire. Our intention was to restore the house to its pre-fire state. Over the past 7 months construction work was done daily to achieve that goal. Unfortunately, due to significant code issues, structural problems and the exorbitant amount of money necessary to achieve this, our insurance company has deemed the house a total loss. This decision was based on the opinion of multiple general contractors, and architectural evaluations as well as the City of Buffalo Building Inspector who toured the property and cited the many code violations that would have to be remedied prior to restoring the home.
Moving forward, the plan is to demolish the house and rebuild a new one on our property. We have hired an exceptional architect to help us design a beautiful new home in keeping with the neighborhood.
I enclose for your review photos of the house which include samples of the rooms after the fire, results post construction and the exterior home. I also include for your review a letter by David Sutton, principal of Sutton Architecture stating his opinion that the house cannot be restored to its original state without unlimited funds. Lastly, enclosed is the estimate in the amount of $232,500.00 we received from John Hulley, owner of Hulley Woodworking to restore some of the wood ceilings, trim, windows, etc. This price does not include the $20,000.00 already paid to him to remove the fire damaged wood. Other bills include payment to ServPro in excess of $100,000.00 for removal of contents, and post fire construction.
Following is a letter circulating among neighbors. It was sent to BRO this morning:
This morning I was notified that on Thursday (7/27) at 3:00pm in 901 City Hall, the City of Buffalo Preservation Board will hold a public hearing to review a request to demolish 29 Tillinghast Place. Some of you may have been made aware of this, to others such as myself who were not notified, this comes as a real surprise. The owners are seeking to demolish the house as a result of a fire this past fall and would like to build a new house on the site.
29 Tillinghast Place was constructed in 1908. It is one of the earliest houses on Tillinghast Place and a handful of examples of historic prairie style architecture in Buffalo. Although there has been little time to research the house properly, there are some early indications that it may have significance beyond this. Although Tillinghast Place falls within the Parkside Architectural Landscape District on the National Register of Historic Places, protections of these structures only apply when public funds are applied to a property. This house would need individual local landmark status, the street itself would need local landmark status or our common council would have to step-in to protect the house. The other option is to convince the owners of how much the house means to our community and for them to reverse their position.
Tillinghast Place is coveted and celebrated locally and nationally for its range of historic, intact architecture. Our property values have escalated because people have come to value the important place these types of homes represent in our nation’s architectural heritage and how well they create a sense of place. In addition, the inventory of historic homes on our street has contributed to Buffalo’s cultural tourism economy which has been an important part of its rebirth. We have lost too many beautiful and significant structures in this community that were said to be “too far gone” and saved too many said to be “too far gone” to bypass a methodical review. The elimination of this house affects not just the owners, but would have an impact on all of us. This house has been here for more than one hundred years, we owe it some additional due diligence.
The community is being encouraged to attend the public hearing.