Mudroom/Storage

Here's a picture of our new porch closet:

This is a storage area for mops,  brooms, recycled jars, cleaning supplies, extra chairs, etc.

Every mud room needs a shoe rack, so this slanted piece of wood does the job.  This new and improved closet is much nicer than what was there with the old porch.  No rotted wood, no mildew, and it's sealed tight.  I don't think I'm going to be avoiding it all winter like I used to with the old storage area.

Some things in an old house are better updated!

Out of Pocket

We were hopeful that pocket doors were hiding in the front wall between the parlor and the living room.  Gary seemed to think they were there.  Today we opened the pocket up but alas, it was a gaping void of door-less space.  Unfortunately, any spare doors that were in the garage are long gone as we didn't think they belonged in the house.  Nothing that we discarded had any hardware that indicated that they had been on a track.  Oh well!

This is a section of the living room wall that needed to be patched.  Unfortunately the faux finish probably can't be replicated. I don't think there is any more of the paint left and I can't remember the formula for it.  I think I will paint in faux corner-stones.

After that, the carpet is coming up.  Any broken or loose pine planks will be replaced.  They'll get a bit of sanding and another coat of paint.  Then the molding will get painted in the parlor and anything on the floorboards that needs to be neatened up will get a touch too.  The wide planks are original to the primary section of the house.

Our plan is to put up bubble insulation between the floor joists in the basement so that cold air won't come up through the floor. 

The boys were in the basement today filling in an old window.  The window opened to beneath the floor in the old porch and two useless lengths of pipe were fed through it.  The rest of the hole was boarded up.  Now the pipe is gone and the hole has been bricked/blocked in.

Tomorrow I think I'll start some light paint touch up over a few spots around the house that we've just patched.  The pocket in the living room is open for  now but will be closed back up this weekend.  Oh well, you  find things and then sometimes it's just a bit of a wild goose chase!

Stuff that Wasn't Fun to Do....

Of all the things we've done on the house, this is the project that was just about the least fun.  OK, maybe it's tied with getting a full tear-off for the roof.

We put in a sump pump last year.  Talk about spending money to dig a hole in the ground!  This was a big project and it kept costing us more and more because the more digging that was done, the more money it cost us.  There are a lot of big rocks in the ground around the Dayton house -- and it added on to the labor to have to dig around them!

One interesting thing we did learn, is that the city water drain goes from the basement, all of the way back to the barn, then down to the street.  When we tried to determine where the run-off was draining to, the guy snaked the line expecting to hear a noise from the storm drain in the street.  He heard nothing.  But things were getting loud in the garage!

The garage/barn was for horses, hence it needed a drain.  This is very convenient when you are hosing down the garage floor.  But it was sort of confounding when it came time to deal with drainage.  But this is the type of thing one experiences when owning an old house.

As for the pump, it was not fun to spend money on it, but it works really well!

The Back Porch is Back!

This was the back porch. By the time this picture was taken, a lot of scraping and sanding had taken place.  However, it didn't look much better than this.

Here is a similar view of how it looks now.  The wall has been mudded and painted.  The concrete was patched and painted.  We decided to repair rather than replace the concrete because if we'd torn it up, the footers that support the porch columns would have been lost.  Everything fit right the way it was and there was enough to be done to replace, repair and repaint the wood on the porch that it wasn't worth it to open one more can of worms.

This is the old gate that has been previously mentioned. It used to be red/maroon.   We've change it to match the color of the other doors on the house.  It makes a nice contrast with the yellow on the garage.

The porch had been in a shameful state, but now it is back!!!

Behind Door Number....

While we were working on the house today, we overheard heard a tour going on that was highlighting the historic houses of Black Rock.  They were stopped at our house.  This has happend before a couple of times and it's always a thrill to see others enjoying the house.  Scott Glasgow came  by to check on us too -- and to see if we had any interesting salvage in the barn that we were going to put in the dumpster.  We learned that the historic designation is now official for both the state and federal registries.  It's making this work all that more worthwhile... but on to the doors!

This is one of two dozen doors from inside the Dayton House.  Each door got a good going over today.  Many of them were pulled off, brought out back, set on saw horses and planed.  The house settles, hinges get loose.  It came to be that fewer doors in the house cleanly shut and stayed closed then those that were able to smoothly open and close.  It was clearly time for a door intervention.

As if there wasn't enough suffering in re-glazing a couple of dozen window panes, we had to deal with the doors too.  This meant multiple trips up and down stairs carrying the doors in and out.  A few new doorknobs will be needed.  In the case of some of the really old mechanisms, we are going to do what we can to save them.  There is a box of old doorknobs in the basement and we might be able to go the organ donor route with those too.

Coming soon, will be an update on the fences.  This section got a good going over today too.  Tom re-painted it and there was a gap that had previously been blocked with some trellis material which now has planking.  The old garden gate which Gary Rogers found floating in a creek in Princeton, NJ will be put  back up tomorrow.  It's gotten an interesting face lift.  So stay tuned...

Closets

There are 11 closets in the Dayton House.  This is how the coat closet downstairs is looking these days.  We suspect at one point, this area was actually the entrance.  The door frame is larger than the interior doors and it goes through the brick wall.

This is the closet that lost some square footage with the porch rebuild.  However, it is now completely rebuilt with new wood, fresh paint, new flooring, etc.  The hang bar will be put back up this weekend and we'll get a few hooks up too.  The closet used to be musty but not any more -- new wood, insulation, etc. can account for this improvement.

Many old houses lack closet space.  Not this one.  Every room has one closet and the hallway upstairs has two.  The bathroom upstairs has one as well.  Many times we'd considered suggestions to convert some of the longer closets to shelves or other sort of storage areas but resisted.  The old woodwork in this house was just too nice to hack up -- and all of it is intact.  Even closets are important to us.

Windows

The windows in this house have been a big project.  We've been on a major glass repair  mission and our handyman who is doing some of the work is probably ready to slit his wrist with a piece of broken glass.  Just when he thinks he is done, he notices another pane.  His job requires a lot of ladder climbing outside and going up and down 14 steps to check on the inside too.

With a plethora of six over six windows, there were easily two dozen pains that were cracked.   We took glass from other windows that came out of the garage, a few that came from the old porch.  We are not just salvaging glass, but also taking the old wood to make repairs in the old wood storms and in some of the window frames.  This old-growth wood is durable and we don't want to mix in new wood if we still have access to the old stuff.  Mr. Fix-it said he used more window glazing and points in this house than he has over his entire life.

Old window, to be used for it' glass

I think we're going to be able to do this hardware swap:

The first picture is a lock on one of our windows.  Half of it is missing.  We hope we can make it whole again using the other half from the window below.

To get an idea of how much glass is in this house.... the window inside has a small broken pane that still needs to be replaced.  In addition to the regular windows, many of the storms also had glass that needed attention.  Some of them broke when they were removed to be painted. Others were cracked to begin with.

Here's an interior view of a window.  The room is taken apart because the storms had to come out and this window had two cracked panes.

The old glass and old style windows are an integral part of a historic house.  Had we ever switched these out for vinyl replacement windows, we never would have gotten historic status.  Also, we would have probably gone broke.  The old windows in this house are not a standard size and it's likely that we wouldn't have been able to go with stock windows.  In any event, we like the old windows and they are important.

Now that this is done, it will probably  be many many years before any further glass work will need to take place.

It's not All Work...

With all the posts about what is going on with the house, it's important to note what goes on inside the house.  It's a great place to cook.  The kitchen is big.  We make almost everything from scratch.   Here's a pie made from 20 Ounce apples -- special pie apples grown in apple country and generally sold directly to manufacturers.  During the fall harvest season, the kitchen at the Dayton House turns out at least one pie per week!

A Rainy Day Topic -- Gutters

It's raining this evening and the gutters are hard at work.  Our gutter system is rather patriotic... red, white & blue!  The blue/green is used by the porch to match the trim, the red is used to match the brick.  We do have a good amount of white that leads from the eaves.  We might end up getting the run shown here painted, but that is a low priority.   The sections that are red have been around for a while and were red to begin with.

We had intended to install Yankee gutters but went with conventional ones.  They were more affordable and the roof was set up to take them.  The roofer who did the shingles did not want to do Yankee gutters and did not finish the job.  Luckily we got help from someone who wanted to do the work.  The gutters were custom cut and fitted to the roof and were not pieced together.  They are working really well.  The profile of the gutters is not blocking the brackets either.

Gutters are one of those things you hate to spend money on.  They aren't fun, they generally don't add to the attractiveness of the house... until you take into consideration what will happen to the lower levels of the roof and foundation without them. 

Also, when the gutters went up and the eaves were painted, the brackets got a good cleaning and tightening.  I would say between the 30 year architectural shingles, repaired eaves, new gutters and downspouts, that the roof at the Dayton House is in pretty good shape these days!

Little Things, Big Things

We've got a "guy."  Actually, we have a couple of them and they work together.  They do big things and they do small things.  There are things we let go and they ask about and want to see fixed.  This three foot section of fence was one of those small things.  We had pickets falling out but it was a small worry compared to the big stuff that needs to be done.  But we've fixed it and now that it's done, well we shoulda just done it a while ago.

We've painted the garage and replaced molding around the door and window that had rotted.  Now we've finished off the bottom of the boards that face the barn too.  They weren't in really bad shape... but now things are finished right.

I think everyone needs a "handyman" and we certainly are benefiting from extended skills and labor for stuff we could do but not do well enough.  Anyone reading this blog who could benefit from the use of a small job here and there might consider the handyman route. We'll hand ours down!

Not the Grand Funk Railroad...

Bridge in early 1900's looking toward Black Rock

… it was the Grand Trunk Railway.  They’re the ones who built the International Railway Bridge that spans the Niagara River in Black Rock.  Connecting Black Rock to Fort Erie, ON, the bridge extends over the I-190 and Squaw Island.  It rotates to provide clearance for larger ships in the Black Rock Canal.  It also provides passage over to Squaw Island with a pedestrian and vehicle lane.

The bridge has been around since 1873, but plans for it began in 1857.   And we all complain because the Peace Bridge expansion is taking so long!

The total length of this bridge is 3,651.5 feet in three distinct sections:

Canadian shoreline across Niagara River to Squaw Island - 1,967.5 feet
the width of Squaw Island - 1,167 feet
across the Black Rock Canal - 517 feet

Its large piers are strong enough to withstand a current of between 7 – 12 knots.  While the dog and I both swim for exercise in the river, we do not swim off of Squaw Island as the current is too strong to be safe.

Traffic on the bridge is not too heavy, anywhere from ten to fifteen trains per day.  The number of cars per train crossing can be long.  The traffic is not loud by any means and generally only audible if you listen for it.  There are more trains running at night it seems.  The crossings are not at street grade, so they don’t inhibit driving either.  Deaborn Street is actually interrupted by the train right of way approximately one block beyond the house.  At the base of the street there is a field that can easily be walked over and which connects to the lower portion of the Dearborn which runs for another block.  Fed Ex has an office and parking on the North side of the tracks.

We walk over to Squaw Island from the base of Dearborn, crossing Niagara at Bridge Street.  There is a parking lot for the Army Corps of Engineer.  It links with the bike path that can either be taken down to connect to the portion of the path heading West or you can bear right and head over the bridge.  Plenty of times we’ve crossed over when there has been a person manning the station that moves the bridge (it is a "swing" bridge and rotates rather than raises and lowers).  We get a friendly wave.  Once you get over to the Island, you need to get off the bridge.  There is always a Border Patrol officer monitoring the bridge and the park and it would likely be impossible to make it all of the way to Canada on foot using the bridge.

This bridge is a nice piece of history and it’s also very useful locally for those of us who want to enjoy the park.

The View From Inside

The end of the porch that jutted out to form an "L" shape has been eliminated.  When we made the decision, it was for a number of reasons.  First, if you look back to the Sanborn map showing this house in the 1860's, that was the original foot print of porch.  This section didn't exist (and we think the 1969 date on the newspaper backs this up).  Also, it costs less to rebuild less.  The section shown here had a door at the end of the porch.  It went nowhere -- it was boarded up on the other side.  There was a window too but all it served to do was offer a view of the junk we had stored on the shelves.  It was OK to have the storage, but it was cold out there so the area was basically ignored in the winter.  The interior side of this area shared a wall with our coat closet and some of it was lost.  The glass in the window will be donor glass to repair broken panes elsewhere in the house.

This window has been eliminated too.  This first section of the porch (which covers the basement trap door) was open at one point.  Now it is enclosed without a window.  This was done for two reasons.  First, the ledges only ever stored junk so there was nothing nice to see through them.  Secondly, the porch was cold.  The entire area is now insulated and we expect this will make the house warmer in the winter.  No draft will be getting in from the side door.  The glass from this window will also end up in other panes.  Gary, the previous owner, used to pick up scrap windows and glass on trash day and that helped restore a lot of the old glass in the house.

We did lose 18 inches in the hall closet.  But that too has been insulated, which will make for a warmer parlor.  This house has an abundance of closets.  Losing three feet of storage between the two areas won't hurt much -- and the added insulation should be a help.

Pictures will be posted of the interior once it's entirely finished -- painting and shelving still remains to be done.  But this peek offers a view of what was eliminated.  And it won't be missed.

Deutschen in Black Rock

At one time, Black Rock and Riverside had a large German and Polish population.  The title for the Dayton House shows a number of German names.  One of the more prominent names was Esser.  It is uncertain if John Esser lived in the house, but he did own it at one time.  Esser was part of the group of businessmen who owned Riverside and there is a street named after  him.

We can deduce that the owners of the Dayton House in 1969 were German or of German descent.  The name on the title is Ansbak.  More telling, is the July 25th 1969 edition of Der Buffalo Volkesfreund found under the floor boards of the side porch.  This issue shows the first lunar landing.  While the Volksfreund is no longer in publication and few Black Rockers are even aware of it, the influence of German immigrants is still felt in this part of the city.

A wonderful German/Eurpean spot of mine in Black Rock, is Spars European Sausage.  The shop has been selling fine pork products since 1989 and we love the sausage they make.  A whole pig comes in once a week and it is processed into high quality pork products.  Their motto is "Pigs, not just cute but delcious." 

A double treat would be to buy a couple of pounds of their Blizzard Bach Brats and then head up to Ontario Street to pick up a growler of that fine brew at the Flying  Bison Brewery.  One very wonderful thing about Black Rock is that it still has some rather old fashioned opportunities.  Where else can you make a few quick stops and pick up freshly brewed beer and hand crafted sausage -- at a reasonable price too!

Whether or not the current population of Black Rock is German, the influence is still felt.

No Job is Small

The side porch had long been an eye sore.  The paint was peeling but it made no sense to just cover it up because too  many boards under it would need to be replaced.  This back area of the porch had some shelving and a door in the wall at the end which was sealed up.  A long bar ran through it as if it were used as a coat closet at one point.  The coat closet in the living room actually shared space with this porch.  There was a door separating this area from the the area in the porch that cut in to meet the newer section of the house.  This was roughly at the same point as the fence post.  We used it to store paper towels, extra kitchen chairs, roasting pans that weren't used frequently, etc.  The small garden bed in front of it and the bush were there to hide the fact that the foundation stone was crumbling.  Badly.

This is a side view of the porch wall. I do not know when or why this window was added.  We can surmise that this section of the porch may have been added in 1969 because an intact newspaper was found under the floorboards from back then.  That is an interesting enough story to warrant a separate post.  This section of the porch was in the picture taken of the house in 1975 which is displayed as the profile picture for this blog.  A small piece of newspaper in this front section of the porch dated to 1941.  It may  be possible that this section was built then.  It would certainly seem that portions of this attached structure were built at different times. 

This side section of the porch covers the trap door down to the cellar. It was by far in the worst shape on any porch or piece of the property.  This section had been open at one point but was eventually enlcosed.  A number of factors likely led to the extreme rotting of the wood.  There was no way to remedy the situation except for a nearly complete tear-down.   Prior to tackling this job, we had two trees close to the house removed. We felt they would get in the way of the paint job and also that the perpetual shade did not help the wood rot situation.  If we are going to the expense and trouble of rebuilding, we want the job to last a hundred years!

We had already planned to deal with the porch  by the time the city cited us for it.  Everyone in the neighborhood got some sort of violation of another when the inspectors came through and did a sweep of this section of the city.  This job was put off as long as possible simply because of the scope of it.  It will take many postings to cover the reincarnation of this monstrosity.  It's only a porch, but it is a huge project.

Over the next few weeks, I will cover not only this porch renovation, but give the detail on the other two.  The porches are not original the the house but they are older and they are an integral part to the function of the home.  We tried our best to have them rebuilt or at least refashioned to keep with the intent of the time they were constructed.

To be continued....

Around the Neighborhood Today

The neighborhood surrounding the Dayton House was bustling with activities during the hey-days of the Erie Canal.  Ships waiting to reach the terminus in Buffalo would often off-load goods that were grabbed by manufacturers and merchants.

Today there are still many businesses in the blocks surrounding the house.  The area had been in decline, but recent activity is showing a promising resurgence of Black Rock.  In the future, I hope to post about local activities and opportunities in order to show how the house fits into the 21st Century.  The pursuit of Historic designation was not with the goal to return the house to its original state, but rather to help it survive and remain intact in today's city.  That's why there won't be posts showing us tracking down a coal insert for the old fireplace... but why you might see us installing an energy efficient gas one.

As for the neighborhood, this is what's currently around the house:

 

Sun Market - a new Asian market. Foodies in the area know that this is the best source to get ingredients for authentic Asian dishes.

Gondola Macaroni - the best freshly made (by hand) pasta in the city, possibly in the region or state!  Gondola sells from a small store front, but supplies local restaurants and retailers with macaroni that is out of this world.

Squaw Island - Previously undeveloped and the site of an incinerator and sewage treatment plant.  Today it is a beautiful open waterfront park.

Market Square - the anchor of the new historic district.  There's now a nice corner park at Niagara and Amherst that was once a vacant lot.

St Francis Xavier - This gorgeous Romanesque style church was closed by the Diocese but is now a museum holding religious art from various churches around the city that have been closed.  A treasure to be sure!

Rich Marina - A functioning and well sheltered marina only two blocks from the house.  We let the dog run here and it's a great place for her to chase down bunnies.

The Bike Path - This is great recreation path that leads South to the jetty downtown, or North up to the end of Niawanda Park. It cuts Eastward over to Delaware Park.  This path is great for biking and walking.

Amherst St. - A real renaissance is happening here.  The Sportsman Tavern has expanded and is show casing musicians of national renown.  The Black Rock Kitchen and Bar is THE hottest new eatery in the City.  There are a number of new galleries.  We attend many street functions on Amherst and it's convenient to also have the Sausage shop and supermarkets to get groceries from.

Black Rock is still a bustling part of town.  The House is well situated and we are lucky to be surrounded by so much promising activity.

How Old Are You Now?

One of the things you often need to know when you file for historic status, is how old the house is.  We had no answer to that!

Determining the exact year built of the house is not possible.  The title serves as a "Who's Who" of important landowners of the early 1800's but there is no clear indication of construction.  Construction pre-dates annexation into the City of Buffalo and no property records exist prior to that.

The title might seem the way to answer the question.  Or maybe going through the property records.  No such luck for this old house!  The problem with relying on the title, is was that land was vigorously bought and sold in the pursuit of real estate dominance as factions representing Black Rock and Buffalo fought for supremacy.  The land was owned before it was developed and no entry on the title precisely states that the house was built or existed on the plot.


One guess at when a structure might have first stood could be based on the first occurance of mortgage insurance on the property.   A bank might require insurace if there was a structure of value being part of a loan. However, there are no records to substantiate this.  The city lists all house from this pre-annexation period as 1865, but this house is definitely older than that.

What is known, is that the neighborhood started to develop in the 1820's and 30's with the opening of the Erie Canal and the construction of the lock at the foot of Austin St.  The area flourished on its own and the development ran parallel to that of the City of Buffalo (originally called New Amsterdam).   Black Rock was annexed into the larger City of Buffalo in 1855. No property records exist for homes in Black Rock prior to that.

What is also known, is that 243 Dearborn St. existed on the Sanborn Fire maps from the earliest dates in the 1860's, situated on the current lot, and noted as a brick house.  The construction material would be of specific interest for fire insurance purposes and that is why it is noted as Brick.




 



This is the first fire map of the city.  The layout appears to have two sections of the homes footprint.

Fire insurance maps are a critical tool in tracing history.

"The fire insurance map is probably the single most important record of urban growth and development in the United States during the past one hundred years.


It contains data used in estimating the potential risk for urban structures and includes such information as their construction material, height, and function as well as the location of lot lines.

The Sanborn Map Company has been the dominant American publisher of fire insurance maps and atlases for over seventy years.


Founded by D. A. Sanborn in 1867, the firm has issued and periodically updated detailed plans of 12,000 American cities and towns."--Library of Congress, Special Collections.


Interesting brick fact:

Brick was the most expensive building material at the time the house was built.

In 1840, brick cost $2.75 per thousand -- nearly three times the daily wage of a skilled worker -- while lumber sold at $4 to $8 per 1,000 feet.

(see: http://www.buffaloah.com/a/DCTNRY/mat/brk/vogel/index.html#Bricks)

Major development of the neighborhood began in the 1840's which is probably why the SHPO researchers pegged this as the time of original construction.  It is possible that the house existed before then but that is not something that can be proven.

That the lot is wider and deeper than all of the other lots is a decent indication that it is certainly the oldest surviving house on the block.  The Sanborn map showes that it used to go all of the way through to East St.

Most blocks in the city are thin and deep because assessments were based on frontage.  The average residential lot in Black Rock is 85-90 feet deep with 30-35 feet frontage. The lot is uncommonly large, a 47 x 112 deep.   The lot size, the width and the building material is a good indication that the house did not belong to someone of the "working class."  Census information of past owners indicate that it was most likely the home of more notable residents as it was not uncommon for prominent business owners to construct homes near their facilities. It would also bear out that the home could only have been built using the bricks manufactured at the brickyard on Tonawanda St.

Here's another old map -- it's so old that it shows that many streets in the neighborhood have since been renamed.  The Dayton House was likely built on "Niagara."

Conjecture and deduction plays the largest part in trying to determine the history of the house.

We are taking the circa 1840 estimate of construction as a conservative estimate.  We really think the house is older than that.  However, the historic standing is not based on age alone.  The construction, style and history are what also make it special.

And as an end note, the bricks shown in back of the title section on the top of the page are from the South side of the front/original section of the house.  These are the real deal!

The View from the Roof

The sky lift rented from Home Depot made it possible to reach the eaves.  The chimney was rebuilt a few years back.  At that time, we dropped a 35 foot liner down it.  There had never been a liner in the chimney and it had caused not only deterioration, but provided an excellent entry point for bats.  The paint colors chosen were based on those used by the prior owner, Gary Rodgers.  We felt the colors were right for the period of the house.  It was also a question of economics.  Sticking to the same color required less paint.  This is a view looking West.  Notice the Niagara River in the upper right portion of the picture.  The history of this house is undoubtedly linked to the construction of the Erie Canal.

This is a view from the lift looking at the circa 1875 addition of the house.  It was at this time that the structure was transitioned to the Italianate style.  The house has many of the original six over six windows.  An impressive amount of the glass shows ripples, swirls and ridges indicative of age.  The trip up on the lift gave us a greater appreciation of the roof we had replaced three years ago.  The shingles are 30 year architectural and a full tear-off was done.  Yankee gutters will go in soon and we will be installing new downspouts.  Many birds nests were cleared from the eaves and brackets and many  bad boards were replaced.

Here is an even better view of the roof.  The chimney will get some repointing.  It is not in service now but we may decide to install a gas vented fireplace in the dining room.  This chimney served a coal burning fireplace.  The original insert and mantel remain largely intact:

This is an aerial view of the barn, which was constructed from box cars in the early 1900s.  While the white lower portion is bright and cheery, it's been decided to paint it yellow. Gary Rogers put the facing on the barn and had painted the lower portion red.  He also replaced the yard arm and tells me the thing could now lift a piano! The basketball hoop was put in about ten years ago as a birthday present to Tom.  It was installed by John Redman and meticulously leveled.  The door to the hay loft still opens. Since this used to be a barn, there is drainage out to the street.

As an added teaser for a future topic... The side porch will be repaired and given a major over-haul this month.  It will remain yellow.  A picture in the National Registry nomination shows the porch in 1975 and it was yellow then.  The porch is the L-shaped extension seen on the South side of the middle portion of the house.  The roof has been repaired a number of times but the foundation is no longer sound and major repairs are required.

The biggest treat in being up on the sky lift was seeing the church of St. Francis Xaviar from a high elevation.  I have climbed to the top of the tower and there is a crack in the face of the clock. You can see through it and over to Grand Island.  There are a few lovely views of the tower from inside 243 Dearborn and I will make a post showing them one of these days.