Black Rock Cooks!

The Nickel City Chef competitions is one hot ticket.  It's the Buffalo version of Iron Chef and it takes place in Black Rock.

Artisan Kitchen and Bath is located on Amherst St, just three blocks from the Dayton House.  It's on the East side of the railroad bridge and has one heck of a set up to show the cooks at work.  The event will be taped for public broadcast and a book will follow.  Yes, Buffalo's Kitchen Stadium is in Black Rock!

Some of the best fresh-made sausage to be found is on Amherst St. as well.  A fresh pig comes in every Tuesday and is processed into sausage, bacon, sandwich meat and other piggish delights!  The Dayton House shops at Spars and you should too!

Gondola Macaroni Company is two blocks away and produces the fresh pasta served in  Buffalo's finest restaurants -- and also at the Dayton House.  If you can't get to Niagara and Hamiliton, you can find Gondola for sale at Guercio's on Grant St. and also at Decamilla's bakery in Amherst -- sorry if I spelled that wrong, we never have to go there... we have fine bakeries and fresh pasta here.

Sun Asian Market is also on Niagara and Hamilton.  It is on the opposite corner of Hamilton from Gondola.  This is genuine Asian fare and sells the supplies and ingredients any serious cook would want to have cheap and easy access to.  This is one of Buffalo's best kept secrets, but it probably won't stay a secret for long.

Black Rock boasts some impressive cooking credentials these days.  It's a place for people who  like to eat and who like to cook.  What it lacks, is pretension and snobbery.

How Safe is Black Rock?

This is a current crime map for the City of Buffalo.  It's from www.crimereports.com.  The neighborhood where the Dayton House is located falls within the area circled.  We are often derided for the "safety" of where we live when in reality, this is the quietest city neighborhood we've ever resided in.  Yes, sometimes a noisy tenant moves on to the street and causes a temporary disruption -- but the block where the house sits is largely owner occupied.  It has never been burglarized.

Other more "in demand" sections of the city boast "better" neighborhoods -- but they aren't necessarily safer.  The crime map above shows a low density of crimes for the Dearborn St. section of the city.

From the Home Finder website.

This is no anomaly and the website capture didn't occur on a slow crime day.  This is just the way it normally is.

Black Rock Eats... Well!!!!

This is Nick's -- the best diner in Black Rock.  Don't be taken back by the fire damage on the second floor, it's being repaired.  There was a big street initiative to get the restaurant up and running as soon as possible after the fire and they are back in business.  You'll get affordable diner fare for breakfast and lunch seven days a week.  Another restaurant in the same family is Sophia's up on Military Rd, featured on Diner, Dives and Drive-ins.  You'll find the same staff at both locations and both serve the same wonderful food.

I don't know if anyone in the city hasn't heard about Black Rock Kitchen and Bar -- which has to be the best new restaurant in the city.   The food is great and the beer and scotch/bourbon selection is phenomenal.  It may not be easy to get a table, but if there are just two of you, eat at the bar!

We love the Sun Asian Market for spring rolls -- this combination Asian grocery and take-out spot is around the corner from the Dayton House.  We have been known to pick up quadruple orders of spring rolls (two per order) to bring as appetizers when invited to parties.  This place is on par with 99 Fast Food and super convenient. 

For straight take out Chinese, we love the No. 1. Kitchen on the corner of Grant and Amherst.  Good quality food for not a lot of $$.  And if you're in the mood for Pizza, consider Joes:

This is the side view -- it's in the Tops Plaza and is the best source for NY Style Pizza.  This is "Joe" of "Gino and Joes."  We make a lot of pizza at the Dayton House, but when we order out, we order here.

Fassos Italina restaurant is a nice place to get home-cooked style food -- but we are also just a short distance from Santisieros.  Granted, Santisieros' might be considered West Side, but we're claiming it for Black Rock.

There are plenty more places to try out -- all just five minutes away.  Black Rockers like to eat and we know we've got plenty of small culinary gems in our neighborhood.  Come by and try them out!

Marking History in Black Rock

This sign hangs above the front door of the Dayton House and it indicates who the house is named for.

This sign is posted at the corner of Amherst and Niagara, at the Western terminus of Amherst St.  Black Rock is historic for many reasons and this marks the beginning of the section of the street where the historic district begins.

This sign marks the spot where the British landed prior to their scorch and torch efforts on December 30th 1812.  This is one of the most historic spots in the city, but few really know about it.

Down the street from the Dayton House is perhaps one of the most historic and important homes as far as the designation and district goes. The Dayton house boasts ownership by a mayor, but the Howell House was built by a man who was far more important.  History shows that he donated one million dollars to the city in order to help establish it.  Back in 1830, that was a substantial sum.  Can someone please step forward with a similar largess today?

Folks often wonder what historic designation does for a home or area.  The Federal and State designation is quite different from local districts and the effect on property values are strongly affected by the type of designation.  Federal and State designation is usually the result of an effort to protect an area, neighborhood or structure from demolition or devaluation as the result of an infrastructure project.  This was the case with Black Rock.  The study was done to protect this part of the city from a project which sought to build an international truck bridge.  The effect would have been devastating.  The study and designation has ensured a stable future for the neighborhood and we are grateful for it.

Local designations are often sought for neighborhoods that seek to achieve a certain cache and are in need of revitalization.  A prime example would be Allentown which is governed by the Allentown Association.  There is a strict committee that oversees the development and future improvements for the area and seeks to preserve the physical characteristics and charm of the district.  Within the district there are also Federal and State designated properties, but not all buildings in Allentown are designated historic.

The type of designation a structure has affects its over-all property value.  It's a complex topic and most research done to quantify the benefits have been done by urban planners and other civic organizations.  It is hard to broadly apply the results because each city/town is different. 

For Federal and State designated properties, there is extra value because of tax credits available for repairs and improvements that meet the SHPO and Federal guidelines as being done for the good of the house.  If the application does not meet standards, the work can still be done -- there is no restriction on style, materials, etc.  The issue is with what is considered worthy of receiving the tax credit.  Things like a new boiler, roof replacement, and other sort of repairs that keep the house standing.

Local districts face a different standard.  Repairs and other enhancements must keep with the character of the district and are subject to a board/committee approval.  The owner of a building in a local district faces much stronger standards and obstacles when it comes to working on their property.

Valuation of properties are affected by designations.  It is generally recognized that a designation will usually add 15% value to the property.  An additional 15% can be considered appropriate if a person of note lived or owned it.  This means the person or group needs to be rather famous or have enough notoriety to be recognizable -- or a very important event had to have taken place that is widely  known about.  An additional 15% can be added of the structure itself is of superior construction, style or quality.  On the whole a property does very well if it achieves a valuation of 131% as a result of it's status.

Often Federal/State will help add value because the cost to maintain the property is offset by tax credits and also because there is less cost involved because historically correct/committee certified material isn't required.  Homes that must go through a strict approval process can actually suffer because there is an assumption that maintenance will be more onerous.  Then again, if the district itself means the house is situated in a superior location because of the district, location can trump that concern.

The location of an historic property can affect its value too.  A home that is nearer to a major city or important historic area will generally value higher than one which is remote or further away.  A truly horrible/dangerous location might weigh negatively in the analysis of over-all value, but the designation will still probably help the building gain a higher value over other properties in proximity to it.

Finally, the cost to restore a building come into the equation.  If it will cost more than 50% of a building's over-all value to bring it up to functional and "restored" standard, that can negatively affect any sort of Cost Valuation done on the property.

This is a very general explanation.  Accurate valuation of an historic property can only be done by a highly qualified, certified and registered professional (a CRA is a Certified Residential Appraiser).  While it is generally held that an historic property carries a higher value than it's non designated counter-part a true analysis of it's value is not always easy to attain.  The major goal in determiningt the worth of any home is the life it will provide.  We are after all, living in a "home" and not a share of stock or calculated number.

Another Nice Thing About Radiators

Yet another nice thing about radiators, is that they are a great place to set dough for it to rise.  The temperature is perfect.  A lot of dough (of the flour variety) is made at the Dayton House and between this radiator and the one in the kitchen and the one in the lower bathroom, there is plenty of space to set out dough to rise.  Some weekends are baking marathons and the radiators have pots, bowls, ziplock bags lined up with all sorts of rising dough.  Yet another reason to love radiators!

The Black Rock Lifestyle

One of the nice things about living in Black Rock, is that you get a lot of house for the money.  The previous pictures of the dining room showed it open with a small table.  Here is how much room there is even with the table expanded for six.  There is another leaf to this table and fully expanded, it still doesn't over-take the room.  It makes quite a nice setting for a big dinner.  Few houses in the city have dining rooms this big and we like to take full advantage of it.

Another great thing about  Black Rock, are the ingredients you can easily obtain for great entertaining.  This gathering took advantage of many local resources.  We are locavores -- not only from a produce perspective, but from a consumer perspective.  We served fresh beer from Flying Bison -- found up on Ontario St.  We served a variety of pizzas on homemade dough -- two of which were made with cappicolla (one sweet and one hot) from Spars European Sausage.  We picked up some cheese from them too along with cheese from Guercios.

Another awesome thing about Buffalo and this section of the city, is that these local high quality ingredients aren't expensive! I can just imagine if we lived, for example, in San Francisco or another high cost city. These ingredients would have cost a pretty penny.  In fact, I bet they'd cost more if we got them from a specialty shop in Amherst or Williamsville.  Having these small businesses locally means we have access to fresh high quality ingredients all within five minutes of the house.

If we hadn't baked a fresh apple pie, we'd have gone across the street from Spars to pick up brownies from Delish.  One of our hardest choices these days is whether we buy our decadent treats from Delish or Carriage Trade!

Black Rock is a *yummy* place to live.

Happy House Inspection!

The house was inspected today.  I know an educational business that teaches classes in building inspection.  They asked us of they could use our home for a case-study.  The goal was to give the three students a chance to inspect an old home.  The class is led by a certified instpector and all three student are already working in construction.  They were eager to see the place and did a thorough job from top to bottom.  We will get the full report on Tuesday.  He also looked the house over for pests and says we are all clear.

The instructor did a preliminary walk through on Thursday and alerted us to a cracked eave in the attic.  This one was actually on the original portion of the roof which is then topped with the addition.  This section of the roof was recovered when the tear off was done but it is still under the second full roof, so this was not a dangerous situation.  No matter, we had someone in fixing it this morning and it was done while the inspector was there -- and received his seal of approval.


We love showing this house to people who want to learn more about old homes.  I told the students about the seminar that SHPO gives for contractors too.  If we are still here in February, we've invited the next class to come an inspect the house.  Between the historical tours and these classes we feel this house has a lot to teach about construction of yesteryear's homes.  And we like knowing about anything that needs attention.  We take caring for this old house very seriously.

Sibling Rivalry

When you own a unique old house, you sometimes get a little obsessive.  In our case, we always wanted to know if the others like it in the city were still standing.  There was one we watched for years off of lower Niagara near the thruway ramp.  It was sad to see it decay further and further until finally it was demolished.  There are now no other houses like ours in the city.   But that doesn't mean I'm not still  looking out for the other old brick men (I don't consider my house a lady as he is not Victorian).    The last house I am showing at the end of this posting is on Amherst St, not far from Wegmans.  I hope that it's in good condition inside and that there is a way to get it designated if it still is intact.

This first house is no longer intact and it's sad.  This one sits on W. Delavan at the corner on Niagara.  It's been added on to.  It's now part of a used car dealership.  This house was probably built around the same time as the Dayton House got his Italianate update.  The round segmental window arches give that clue.

This is a picture of that structure from the front.  The facade has been completely obliterated.  A preservationists nightmare!

 This is a side view of an old brick building on W. Ferry near Grant.  This house was converted to offices but still appears to be part residential. It is a double too.  This building could not get historic designation on account of the windows.  It is also not as old as the Dayton House.

Here is a front view of this house.  I think the McDonald's sign distracts from it (and people think the decrepit house next to ours is a killer!).



I've picked these buildings as comparisons because they are masonry construction.  That is different than a brick veneer over a wood frame.  Most "brick" houses in the city are not full masonry construction. That is a lost form of building that will never be revived because it is so costly.  However, it makes for a house that is far more durable than a wood/clapboard counter-part.  This is part of the reason the Dayton House has survived for so long.

I am also going to say that I am not a fan of people who look to these houses -- or at houses like the Dayton House with a mind to find "Comparables" from an appraisal standpoint.  As a person who works in the mass appraisal industry, getting the true value of an old home is a tricky proposition and the attention paid to comps as the result of HGTV shows and get-rich-quick self-proclaimed moguls is the enemy of historic preservation.  It doesn't do these homes justice and it certainly won't help them survive into the future.

We are pulling for the house on Amherst -- we are kindred spirits.  Old brick men who don't want to go over to the dark side and become investment or commercial properties.  If anyone knows the people who own the house on Amherst, please speak up!  It's on our radar....

Front Porch

The front porch was a real disaster.  The concrete was crumbling and had to be repaired -- but it was beyond repair so we had to bite the bullet, save up a ton of cash and have it completely rebuilt.  This took over a year and a half, a couple of different contractors and at least a couple of thousand dollars.  The first guy went AWOL -- but  not before he did some major damage.

Here's another view of it.  Pitiful. Just awful -- a real danger too.

The first guy got 3/4 of the way through.  He knocked down most of the old foundation and started to build up with new block. Lots of old block and rubble fill in what we have now.  He gave up when it came time to take down the stairs.  We never saw  him again.  Guy number two finished the base and built the stairs back up.  We also had him re-do the sidewalk leading up to the porch.

When we were finishing the exterior details, we learned that the job guy number one did propping up the porch completely pulled the overhang from the house.  It had to be re-attached.  That was a job and a half too -- but it's not going anywhere now!

This is the finished product. Guy number three worked with another guy to fix what the others weren't able to see through to the end.  With the iron painted, new posts up to add extra support, new light fixtures, a new mailbox and repaired fencing (it is now white), the house finally has the entrance it deserves.

The house now has two completely rebuilt porches and one that has been completely repaired (that is the back one that's already been shown).  Porches are not a cheap or easy proposition when it comes to repairs and we are very glad that the house is set for many more years in this regard.

ps.  If you look over the front door, you'll see a plaque we had made to commemorate the house's historic status.  It's really cool!

A Happy House!

The Dayton House would like to thank everyone who visited for the open house yesterday.  While it was a bear to get ready for, it was a lot of fun.  This house likes to be shown.

For those who couldn't make it, here is a good idea of what you would have seen:

Living Room and Parlour

Upstairs Bathroom

Downstairs  Bathroom

Downstairs  Bathroom

Front Hall. entryway to upper (left) and lower (right)

Upper Hallway

Front Bedroom

Middle Bedroom

Third Room

There is no picture of the upstairs kitchen/spare room or of the attic.  There was just so much to do!  We were raking leaves and organizing cupboards and actually ended up starting about 20 minutes early  because of vistors waiting outside.  We met some great people.  Second showings are now being set up and we are looking forward to return visitors.

The Dayton House seems to have a strange appeal in general.  We have had a number of people come up to us and tell us that they admire the house -- and have also had a few that say they "feel" things and that the house puts off good/comforting vibes.  That's probably because Dr. Dayton believed in treating anyone in need -- regardless of whether they could pay or not.  It may also be because many Buffalonians were born in this house (upstairs in the middle/brown bedroom that was the birthing room).  People often ask us if the house is "haunted" on account of its age.  We tell them that we have never felt anything of the sort -- but that it is a house where there is a lot of good will.  We certainly hope that everyone who came by yesterday felt that way. 

And for one final note... The middle parlor downstairs has a wall of stunning photography.  The pictures are the work of a local creative force by the name of Greg Meadows.  He has a blog which is listed to the right, named "As I See It."   Greg takes wonderful pictures that are Buffalo-centric and anyone with an eye for fine photography should check his work out!



Open House!

We are ready for the open house tomorrow.... well, we will be.  There's a lot of cleaning still to do.  This is a picture of the big kitchen and a space that gets a lot of use in this old house.  This old house was made for cooking, eating, big meals and home-made food.  It's not shown on the MPLs until now because it was the Ops Center for the recent flurry of home improvement.  The table has been full of light fixtures, electrical outlets, saws, paintbrushes -- you name it, it's been on the table over the past couple of months!

We are looking forward to meeting everyone tomorrow.  The listing has prompted calls from prospective buyers, agents and we've had some great conversations with folks coming by to look at the house.   No one's been inside (except if you count the carpet installer and various tradespeople) so we are eager now to open the doors to all.

The open house is from 1-3PM and we promise to have coffee and cider on hand.  The weather is supposed to be great so we hope whomever stops by will spend a few moments enjoying the day -- and the wonderful view of St. Francis.  Buffalo is beautiful in the fall and we feel we are opening the house at the best possible time of the year.

We hope to see you!

Radiators

This house runs two boilers.  One for each floor, each on separate meters.  This is because the house is zoned as a double.  This also serves the purpose of letting us sort of "zone" our heating.  We can keep the upstairs at a lower temperature because of the heat rising from the first floor. 

The heat in the house is also rather steady because it is provided via radiators.  These are hot water, not steam.  This makes them a little easier to deal with.  While we have not had to have any service calls for the radiators, we have had to deal with a few furnace issues over the year.  In fact both boilers (Dunkirks) have been replaced in the past ten years.  It costs less to buy and have hot water boilers installed than it does with steam.  There are many more technicians who know how to work with water boilers than there are those compent with steam.

This is the detail of one radiator.  We have about six or seven like this.  The one in the formal dining room downstairs is twice as long as the others like it in the house.  There are also smaller radiators in less prominent rooms.  We try to keep them painted with a metallic finish because that is supposed to increase their effectiveness.  A periodic coat of rustoleum and regular bleeding is about all it takes to keep these in good shape.

They're functional and also beautiful. 

More on the Floor

We have more flooring to tackle.  Tomorrow an installer will be here to put new wall to wall down in the upstairs hallways and the third bedroom.  This is the front hallway as it looks today.  The walls, trim and ceiling have been painted and the old carpet ripped up.  We've put in a new light fixture but it isn't visible here.  The color is admittedly not "real estate agent beige" designed to appeal the masses, but we found this blue very striking and have used it in other areas in the house to great advantage.

We are not exposing the original pine flooring.  Gary had put a sub-flooring down over it because he did not think it was salvageable.  The layer is nailed and glued and I don't think we could have feasibly pulled it up.  This shot of the two stairs that connect the c. 1840 original section of the house to the c. 1875 addition show vestiges of the old pine plank. I figured I'd document the image in case future owners are curious.  This is what is under the rug!

This is what we consider the third bedroom and it's getting the same carpet as the hallways.  The carpet that was put down by Gary was glued so soundly that we could not get it up, so it's going to stay as a base layer.  For anyone who is curious, this layer was covered when we first bought the house 15 years ago.  One of the first things we did, was paint that room and put in new carpet.  The room itself and the carpet were in fine condition -- we just wanted a different color scheme.  If the carpet seems marked up or dirty in this picture, it's because it's been through a few painting projects.

The carpet tomorrow has been purchased through G&L Flooring, which is on Grant St.  We have purchased all carpeting in the house through them as we really like dealing with Paul Murphy.  I'll put up pictures once the carpeting is done and expect it to look great.