Chris Brown sent along some pictures to provide a quick check-in on two house renovations in the Kleinhans’ neighborhood.
33 27 Fargo below is owned by David Bartlett Clinton Holcomb. Asphalt siding has been removed making a significant difference in the look of the 3,997 sq.ft. residence.
At 265 Whitney, WNY Property Investors Inc. is renovating a property purchased at last Fall’s In-Rem auction. The 2,406 sq.ft. residence’s wooden siding is getting repaired as part of the rehab project. WNY Property Investors paid $32,000 for the residence.
Some information on the Whitney property from Steel’s post last October on the In-Rem auction:
265 Whitney shows signs of disinvestment and abuse but looks to be in relatively good condition. I don’t know what its interior is like but the exterior holds a remarkable amount of its original detail including original clapboard and intricate arched window trim.
Chris [Brown] says notes that the house was built for a lake captain named James Reardon circa 1870. He goes on to point out that this was around the time of the laying of the first Trans Atlantic telegraph cable.
Architectural historians Olef Shelgren and Austin Fox claimed the “rope” or “cable” molding seen in Allentown homes was part of the Trans Atlantic pop art phase. The rope or cable-like window trim seen on the arched windows of this house may have been a representation of the twisted strands of the pioneering ocean cable. Chris notes that the successful completion of the cable project inspired new decorative motifs in pottery, art, etc. and that cable moldings were all the rage at the time. These moldings were once very common in Buffalo but alas are now quite rare.