Deveaux Woods Brick Barn

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2009

2013

August 25, 2017

2017

May 2018
Wikimedia, KC Kratt, Elizabeth Licata, NF Reporter, Dan Davis

Location

3180 De Veaux Woods Drive East, Niagara Falls, NY 14305

Owner

  • New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) per Buffalo Spree/2013
  • Previous owners include: Niagara County, the City of Niagara Falls, Niagara University, BOCES, and NCCC
  • NYS Corporation and Business Entity Database

Physical Description

  • 2.5 story Italianate style brick barn with arched windows, wide wood doors, and a front gable

Current Condition

  • Maintenance has been deferred and it is being threatened with imminent demolition (July 2017).
  • Temporary tarp covering deteriorating roof was blown off in a wind storm (March 2017).

History

  • Built 1863.
  • Once part of the DeVeaux School, a boys’ school that shut down in 1972.
  • The park grounds were the former Niagara University DeVeaux campus and the original site of the Castellani Art Museum.
  • 1974 - Granted National Register status as part of the Deveaux School Historic District.
History courtesy Buffalo Spree

Recent Events and Actions Taken

  • 2000 - Ownership was handed over to the State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP)
  • 2001 - Niagara University deeded the park property and its buildings to the state
  • 2004 - Barn added to the local landmarks list
  • 2010 - 'A number of local citizens banded together to create a task force when they learned the OPRHP was considering demolition of the barn. Efforts are ongoing, but the lack of funding has stymied any efforts at serious restoration.' Buffalo Spree
  • 2013 - 'Mary Ann Rowland, Chair of the Niagara Falls Preservation Society, is concerned that by last winter, no one had replaced or protected the barn’s roof. She and others wrote letters and made phone calls to the OPRHP to no avail, and finally put a tarp on the roof as a stop-gap effort to keep snow off.' Buffalo Spree
Recent Actions courtesy Buffalo Spree
  • March 8, 2017 - 80mph wind storm damages makeshift tarp, 'exposing decayed wooden rafters and interior of the building' NF Reporter
  • July 2017 - Christopher Puchalski: "Parks has informed City Planner Tom DeSantis that the 1863 Deveaux Woods Brick Barn will be demolished at any time. Further, the justification basically comes down to - the bricks will be re-used in repair and reconstruction projects at Old Fort Niagara. "
  • July 2017 - According to Niagara Falls City Councilman Ken Tompkins: “(State Senator Robert) Ortt’s office is helping me on this. I’ve reached out to (Western District Director and newly-minted Assistant Deputy Commissioner) Mark Thomas and to (Assemblymember) Angelo Morinello and our (Niagara Falls) Historic Preservation Committee.” NF Reporter
  • DEMOLISHED MAY 2018.

Other Pertinent Facts

  • One of the few brick barns in the region, according to James Bragg of the City of Niagara Falls Planning Department.
  • 'The barn is now part of DeVeaux Woods State Park, one of the only old-growth American forests in an urban setting.' Buffalo Spree

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Added 2017-07-14 • Last changed 2018-05-12