Welcome to the blog for the Dayton House of Buffalo, NY. The house was recently placed on the NY State historic registry and we would like to thank the State Office of Historic Preservation for all of their hard work which made the designation a reality. The nomination was reviewed Federally on August 23rd, but we do not yet know if it was approved or not. Preservation Buffalo/Niagara has been an excellent resource for us. We have been delighted to see our house listed here.
The house has been named for its most prominent resident; Lewis P. Dayton (1821–1900) who was the mayor of Buffalo from 1874–1875. Dr. Dayton was a physician in the village of Black Rock. His medical practice was in the house. Dr. Dayton's first wife was Grace Webster Holley, who died at a young age. He remarried two more times. When he lived at 243 Dearborn St, he was married to Mrs. Alice Maud Hayes, who died about a year later.
Dayton was an alderman for the twelfth ward in 1855 (around the time he owned the house). For the years 1865 through 1867, he served as Erie County Clerk. In 1868, Dayton was appointed to the first Board of Park Commissioners and was chosen health physician for the City in 1871. On November 4, 1873, he was elected mayor as the Democratic candidate. He did not seek a second term and retired to his private medical practice. He died on May 14, 1900, and was buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery His brain was preserved in alcohol, possibly for medical research. We do not know what ever became of it, but it is not in the house!
The purpose of the blog is to share facts about the house and show the current set of projects we have embarked upon in an effort to put the luster back on this gorgeous old pile of brick. We hope that those interested in old homes in Buffalo will find this blog and share their thoughts and impressions of the beautiful old home. We treasure this house and all it has endured and hope that others will be enchanted by it and foster it's continued existence.
