Buffalo can use a few more Jen and Jareds. The couple has purchased a home and is planting roots in Buffalo. But they, like an increasing number of others, didn't choose one of the in-demand neighborhoods such as Elmwood Village, Parkside, Delaware District, North Park, or University Heights. Instead they staked a claim on the West Side in an old home that they are currently restoring. Their story after the leap.
Jen and Jared, both in their early 30’s, enrolled in the Masters of Architecture program at UB. Jared graduated two years ago and Jen will be graduating in February. They had attended the University of Rochester in the late 1990's (Jared with Psychology and Classics and Jen in Studio Art and Religion) and moved to Buffalo for graduate school. At the time, Jen knew nothing about Buffalo having grown up in the Adirondacks. Jared grew up here and attended Hutch Tech. When the couple was looking for a place to live a little over six years ago, they had no idea even where to look. It was chance that they ended up at Elmwood and Bryant when a UB professor happened to know of an available neighboring apartment.
Jen believes that choosing that apartment played a big role in their decision to stay in Buffalo. Neither had any idea at the time that they would buy a house or meet so many amazing people that would facilitate such a decision. Since they had a 'secret garden' and a quiet haven in the city, it gave Jen, a self-described country girl, a way to fall in love with Buffalo. They decided that Buffalo was where they wanted to stay and desired to buy a home to make their own.
They combed over their Elmwood Avenue neighborhood but found few homes that met their needs. Frustrated, they broadened their search to include Allentown and the West Side. After meeting Harvey Garrett (West Side Community Collaborative) and hearing about Chris Brown’s work (Kleinhans Community Association), the couple came close to purchasing a home on Massachusetts Avenue. Brad Wales, a former University of Buffalo professor, gave the couple Chris Brown's contact information and a list of distressed properties in the area and changed direction. They ended up purchasing a fixer on Pennsylvania Street for a few reasons:
1. Chris Brown and the Kleinhans Community Association’s ability to link the right people to the right home at the right time.2. The house was affordable. They didn't want to pay a lot for a house they intended to redo. Paying $90,000 for a house that requires $30,000 worth of work to meet your needs isn’t in everyone’s budget.
3. It is close to Allentown, which is where all of their friends live (also young architects who have invested in the city and done similar projects on Pearl, Elmwood, Hudson, Days Park, lower Mariner, lower Park, College, and elsewhere).
