A Historical Day In Buffalo: The Reinstein Center
With the help of Julia Reinstein, the Historical Society was able to purchase the house in 1989 as part of the 'History Lives Here' capital campaign. Not only was this an important acquisition for the society, it was also imperative to save the structure from ruin. The ceilings had been leaking, the walls were in bad shape... there could not have been a more appropriate time for the purchase. In 1992 Hamilton, Houston and Lownie Architects went to work on the house thus restoring it to befit its National Register of Historic Places honor.
A massive fireplace graces what is now a series of offices used by the Historical Society. A wonderful wood, split staircase leads visitors to the upper balcony area and a massive 12'x12' arched window acts as a focal point on the opposite end of the room. As far as visitors go... the Reinstein Center is available as a meeting space. In the past, community groups have used the center due to its prime location and the conference tables on hand. The meeting rooms accommodate 40 people and 15 people.
One interesting point of interest that was recently brought to my attention was the home's bizarre relationship to Elmwood Avenue. At one point Elmwood actually ran between the Historical Society and the center. When Elmwood was redesigned, the resulting 'raceway' that divides this part of the park system created a disruption in the natural flow of the surroundings. The exterior of the house is a glorious site for those that venture near its stone walls... but the roadway to the west is more of a thoroughfare than the boulevard that it will (hopefully) one day become.
The Resource Center is located at 25 Nottingham Terrace.
For further information on rentals, visit the society's website.
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chris69
It looks like they gutted alot of the character out of that building.
For instance with a staircase like that .... no one is going to tell me that there were not wood cross beams or some sort of molding on the ceiling and cornices.
The same for all the doorways and archways....it looks very sterile on the inside
If I were the architects...I wouldnt be bragging....the exterior looks the same....but the interior looks hollow and empty and sparse....as if an animal were gutted on the inside and left intact on the outside.
Still better to have a building saved than not have a building at all.
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42nate
I don't think so. Didn't you read the article? It says that the house "was designed with a large open space to accommodate his grand piano." Not that HHL's work is always sensitive and flawless.
Oh, and Queenseyes? There is no "National Register of Historic Homes." You probably meant the National Register of Historic Places.
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queenseyes
You're the best 42nate.
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PrincetonElms
The old Elmwood is still visible, right in front of the Historical Society. The pavement runs right up to where the original bridge used to stand. Sad to think that this great house once looked out over the grounds of the State Hospital & parkway along Scajaquada Creek - and now just landfill and ugly 'new' Elmwood and the expressway.
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georgethomasapfel
You can see the old alignment of Elmwood on the overlay map I made of the Pan Am grounds on my website http://gapfel.com/PanAm/ in the detail below I've labeled it Elmwood (1901)
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