Ernest Franks House
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LOST | DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT |

DEMOLISHED February 27, 2020

Ernest Franks House
Photo credit: PRS
184 West Utica Street, Buffalo NY 14200
- Lat, Long: 42.911009,-78.873205
- SBL Number: 100.46-1-17
- Erie County Property Info
- Google Map
- Bing Bird's Eye View
- Niagara Council District
- Next door to 180 West Utica Street
ACTION!
- The City of Buffalo Preservation Board accepted the application for local landmark status and scheduled a public hearing for 4:00pm February 25.
- DEMOLISHED February 27, 2020
Owner
- Nick Sinatra dba S&N Buffalo Properties
Physical Description
- 2 1/2 story red brick house in the Flemish Revival style.
Current Condition
- Vacant.
History
- From The Campaign for Greater Buffalo's full architectural description, photos, and criteria for landmark designation as submitted to Buffalo Preservation Board (5 MB PDF here):
- (1) As a rare example of Flemish Revival style domestic architecture in Buffalo, the Ernest Franks House has character and value as an expression of the heritage and culture of Buffalo and New York State. The territory that is now New York State was first colonized by the Dutch in 1609, the same year the Dutch Republic itself was recognized by the European powers. The architectural style brought over by the original settlers of New Amsterdam (which became New York in 1664), Beverwijk (Albany) and the Hudson Valley was Flemish, characterized most prominently by the step gable.
- Impending loss of independence in the consolidation of New York City in 1898 caused Brooklynites to embrace the Flemish architecture of its first hamlets as tokens of distinctiveness. This spread throughout metropolitan New York and the state with the approach of the tricentenary of the founding of New Netherland in 1909. The second New Amsterdam (Buffalo), founded by Dutch capitalists itself, shared in the cultural moment.
- (3) The Ernest Franks House is a cultural artifact that embodies the historic, aesthetic, and architectural heritage of Buffalo and New York State. It is at once physically characteristic of its era, the early 20th century, and a conscious effort to celebrate and emulate the architecture and aesthetics of the 17th century.
- (5) It embodies characteristics of the Flemish Revival style valuable for the study of early 20th century architecture and the use of indigenous materials. The use of local sandstone in many different forms, and brick, as well as the adaptation of the Flemish Revival to emerging and prevalent American forms, make the Ernest Franks House a repository of knowledge.
- (6) The Ernest Franks House was designed by Albert Schallmo, a master architect who significantly contributed to the development of the City and State. Schallmo was an extraordinary artist in brick. The Franks House may be his first commission and it shows, at an early age, a careful choice and use of materials to create a distinctive house on a tight budget. It is valuable for that alone.
- Schallmo went on to design, with partner Chester Oakley, four unsurpassed masterpieces of brick architecture: Roman Catholic parish churches for Blessed Trinity, St. John the Baptist, St. Casimir, and St. Luke. He also independently designed several houses and a school in Williamsville, and, with Oakley, several characteristic buildings at St. Bonaventure University in the Southern Tier.
- (7) The details of step gable, quarry-faced, dressed-, and rusticated sandstone, dense jumbo brick, flared roof and dormer, and superb overall craftsmanship render the Ernest Franks House architecturally significant. These are all details found in Flemish architecture as it developed from the 13th through 17th centuries, was transplanted to the New World, and was interpreted by, particularly, New York State architects at the turn of the 20th century. It is also a monument to the prideful craftsmanship of masons and bricklayers in Buffalo’s Golden Age.
Recent Events and Actions Taken
- January 2020: Sinatra Development, which owns the house and an adjoining parking lot, has applied for a demolition permit for an 18-unit townhouse development. Neighbors and concerned citizens opposed to the demolition showed up in force at a January 23 Preservation Board hearing on the demo request.
- February 6, 2020: The City of Buffalo Preservation Board accepted the application and scheduled a public hearing for 4:00pm February 25.
Other Pertinent Facts
- Statement by Bob Pedersen, President, Atlantic-West Utica Block Club: I want to touch on two issues raised in the response to this piece: the long period of neglect of the houses and the last minute rush to landmark 184 West Utica.
- Ownership since 1963:
Links
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Added 2020-02-01 • Last changed 2020-12-22