My recent walk down Trinity Place (see Part 1) in Allentown exposed me to a great part of the city I had never before paid attention to. The highlight of my Trinity trip was this unique and beautiful house at the street’s bend. It is tucked into an odd triangle plot and is nothing like anything else on the street. As a matter of fact it in not like 99.99% of anything else in the whole city. Most of this street was built prior to 1900 and its architecture pretty much follows the 19th century building patterns common throughout Allentown and other historic Buffalo neighborhoods. This one, with its low-hipped roof and plaster detailing, is of a different era and very different way of thinking.
At first I thought perhaps it was a remnant building from the Pan American Expo. Its Spanish styling would have fit the architectural theme of the fair. Alas, it is not from the fair (which would have been a great story) but, dates much later as a product of the 1920s (or 1930s depending what page of the Allentown Association web site you believe). Its picturesque architectural styling may have something to do with the growing romance and influence of Hollywood and the movies. Unfortunately I was not able to uncover much (anything) on its history. Perhaps this story will jog something lose. It is worth walking by this house in person to see the many wonderful, unusual and subtle sculptural decorations. Even the little garage has interesting details. I love that I can still find these surprises in Buffalo!