Historic Georgians in NY State

There are only about 5 houses listed on the Historic Register in NY State that are of brick construction in the Georgian style dating back to the same era as our Dayton House.  To add to the rarity of the house, only three of those structures are three-bay designs.  The Dayton House has characteristics that are shared between the three buildings but it is unique.

Hunting down information on the three buildings was not too easy.  The one house that has the best chance of being similar is located near Lake Champlain in Essex County, NY.  True to what I’ve posted before, the house was predictably found one block from a major body of water.  That’s good support for the theory that if you want to find a brick house like Old Man Dayton, look a block from the water!  In the early 19th century, Lake Champlain was one of the busiest ports in the country.

The Abraham Aiken House can be found at 22 Lakeshore Rd, Willsboro, NY

 Willsboro, NY:

Although I did a lot of searching, I could not find an image to compare it.  But I was able to find that it is a three bay Georgian.  Of the five or six homes on the registry in New York State, many of the Georgian homes are five bay with a center entrance.  That rules them out in my mind for being in the same category.  The Dayton house is more of a "vernacular" version of the style and I am guessing the Aiken house is too.   If I get a chance (which is not likely any time soon) to get to Lake Champlain I’ll try to see this house.  Unlike the Lewis P. Dayton House, this was an agricultural/farm home so it will probably be a little different – but my guess is that it will also share many similarities.

The Dayton's Corners School is a one-room school building in the town of Penfield, New York erected in 1857.  It’s not a house, but the style is very similar to our Dayton House – and another coincidence as far as the name goes (see the post about the Dayton House in Lima, NY).

I have not seen this structure in person but during the summer drive in close enough proximity to it on the way to our camp at Sodus Bay.  Driving through the Lake Ontario country-side gives us an opportunity to see many old brick structures that are similar to the Italianate period of our house.  But we have yet to see one old enough and in the same Georgian style as ours.  We have seen many beautiful brick homes in Lyons near the canal and there is one that comes close.

The Smith-Ripley House, which is now The Ripley House Museum, is a historic home located in Adams in Jefferson County, New York.  This might be compared to our Dayton House on steroids.  It’s a grander example of the three bay Georgian style:



What I am finding is that the Dayton house really is turning out to be an unique and a rare surviving example of a style and period of building.  This one reason we were successful in gaining registry status.   I'm going to continue to look for more and post about them when I find them. Happy Hunting!

Milling

This house is on the Western side of the Welland Canal in Port Colborne.  It is on the South end of King Street before the road becomes commercial.  It is a short distance from the ADM mill.  I find more of these old brick houses near at the ends of the canals.  As is usually the case, I find one -- but rarely more.

Milling likely played a key role in the construction of these types of brick houses.  Mill and factory owners would have been the ones to build grand homes, while the other lots were used to house workers.

The ADM mill in Port Colborne is part of a large conglomerate (Archer Daniel Midland) that also owns a mill in Buffalo.  At one time, Buffalo was the grain center of America (c. 1925).  Mills in Black Rock were productive and important in the early part of the 19^th century but ultimately failed to succeed because they could not compete with the facilities that were built on the harbor in Buffalo.  The mills in Black Rock never fully harnessed water power – rather than relying on the current of the Niagara River and instead used a small water fall that was created between the canal and the river.

The mills in Black Rock burned down and that form of industry died out.  The earliest mills were the Globe and North Buffalo Mills.  Managers from the Globe mill ended up opening the Thornton and Chester Milling Company.  From tracing the title of the Dayton House while researching for the registry application, we found that one occupant was the manager/CEO of the Chester Milling Company.

People always think of the mills downtown as the only evidence of the predominance of Buffalo in the grain industry.    There are really no vestiges of the industry as it once existed in Black Rock, other than the few remaining homes that housed the residents connected to the mills.

Port Colborne

Port Colburne is a town in situated at the South end of the Welland Canal.  It shares a few similarities with Black Rock.  The town was founded in 1832 and like Black Rock, life revolved around a canal.  The Welland Canal connects Lakes Erie and Ontario.  Today's canal was not the original -- there was an earlier version that opened in 1829.  It took five years to build the 26 mile waterway.

The main source of industry in the early days of the Welland Canal were nickel mining.  That industry benefited from the hydro power of Niagara Falls.  The town was prosperous enough to have a healthy start, but like Buffalo, the prosperity did not continue.  Unlike Buffalo, Port Colborne's canal never went out of use and is well used today.  The first ship to pass through the canal did go to Buffalo.

Like Black Rock, Port Colburne has a few old brick  houses that are similar in style to the Dayton House.  This once again proves the theory that you can find these old structures within close proximity of a canal.  Unfortunately, these houses have not fared well.  I have looked and looked along the canal for a surviving old brick example of domestic building for the early canal period, but come up empty  handed.  Here's what's left:

The first house I found is located on the aerial photo in the area I've circled.  This is closer to the terminus of the canal and is probably the oldest of the three structures I found.

The house is no longer occupied as a Residential structure.  Is is part of an industrial property -- a recycling/scrap facility.  The first picture faces South and is the front of the building.  This is a five bay Georgian style.  The addition seems to be a later addition and looks as if it is a separate area.  The second picture is a side view.  As you can tell, this house is a gonner in so many ways.  I don't think it will ever serve as a home again.  Sad!

Further down the road, you have two brick homes that are side by side and both constructed during the same period.  These resemble the Dayton House but there are a few differences as well.  These were also converted from residential to commercial use.  The integrity of the structures have been greatly compromised.  They are obviously in a serious state of deterioration. 

These examples are another example of how rare it is for these canal era brick residences to survive intact.  The ones that I find are always in a very sad state.  That in turn makes me sad.  But it also makes me feel very fortunate for being blessed with the house.  The old brick man is a survivor and I think he still has many strong years ahead of him.  In fact, bearing any great tragedy, I see no reason why the Dayton House won't survive long into the future.  The house has beat the odds for sure!

A Distant Cousin

The Dayton House has a cousin in Bern, NC.  Gary Rogers found it and sent me pictures.  This house is in much rougher shape than the Dayton House -- but it's also for sale so if you want a fixer-upper, this one is 150K.  It's a smaller house -- this is just what the original section of the Dayton House was built like.  But other than the door being on the opposite side, these could be considered doppelgangers!  Thanks to Gary for sharing.... his wife would not let him buy it.

I work with appraisers and assessors and one gentlemen gave me a tip that if I want to find houses like mine, to look in similar areas -- in our case a block from a river.  He said if I went on these old brick house hunts near rivers, I'd find more examples.  As it turns out, the 218 Front Street is one block from the river!

Here is a more frontal view of the house.  You'll see that only two of the chimneys remain and the roof isn't as steeply pitched as Old Man Dayton's is -- that's the work of the Italianate update. You can see scorch marks on the bricks in the attic of the Dayton House which show where the original roof line fell.  The Italianate update probably came as a result of a fire.

I just love these old piles of brick and will continue to hunt for them!

Those Green Recycling Totes and Squaw Island

The Dayton House is now using the big green recycling tote distributed by the City.  Prior to that, the blue bin was regularly overflowing with recyclables.  Recycling has become an important part of life in Buffalo and its evolution is linked to Squaw Island – thus giving it a tie in to Black Rock and the Dayton House.

It’s probably been almost a decade since the old incinerator was taken down.  That polluting monstrosity was located on Squaw Island, an abandoned eye-sore.  The island has always had a hill used by neighborhood kids for sledding.  Back in the days of the incinerator, it was not a cheery Currier and Ives sort of past time either.  The island was a dumping ground and not worth spending much time on.

Things have changed and we have, among other things, the city’s recycling program to thank for it.  Recycling has cut down on the amount of waste the city must dispose of.  Activists and scientists have succeeded in convincing civic leaders that burning trash is a costly method of trash disposal – both fiscally and environmentally.  That the incinerator on Squaw Island had to come down was evident to all.  The positive result of its removal and the improvements made to the island is indisputable.

I only hiked over to the island with my dog once in the pre-park days.  The experience left me disgusted.  My dog wanted to swim in the pond, but there was garbage, clumps of weeds and other murky stuff in it.  We returned home disgusted. I was afraid she might have picked up a leach or tics, or who knows what other sort of parasite lurking in the muck.

Now the pond is cleaned up.  The area is clear and grassy.  The ballasted area at the end of the island is a haven for birds – and can make a decent swimming spot for a dog (though truthfully, I feel the constantly flowing river is safer because it can’t gather parasites).  The paths along the park are great for walking, running, riding and just relaxing.

The first year the incinerator was down, we had an influx of bats and rodents.  The new trash bins and having a dog in residence helped with that a lot.  Back in those days, our house was one of the few who religiously filled their blue totes to overflowing.  Now it’s just the way things are done.  Recycling initiatives have led to the beautification of Squaw Island, though not very many people realize this.  Were it not for alternative ways to process trash, it may very likely have been necessary to keep that horrid dump open.

Black Rock Sunset

Rushed home tonight in hopes of catching the sunset at the river.  We just made it!  The sun was dipping below the horizon at 5:53PM.  It was cold and windy but it was also a great opportunity for me to get the dog out for a serious 20 minute round of fetch.  In the winter, we jog around Delaware Park but if I can get in any amount of daylight, then it's the neighborhood for us; Tow Path Park at the foot of Hertel for our first choice.

This is a great way to end the day!  And a tired dog will always be happy  -- doubly so her people.  Black Rock might need to be renamed "Bark Rock" from her perspective...

Eat Local -- Emily's

There is a side bar to this blog if you scroll down a bit listing some great places to eat in Black Rock.  Here's a picture of tonight's fish fry from Emily's.  The restaurant is up on Hertel and Tonawanda.  It's one of our favorite local spots.  A nice couple owns it and they make all of the food on the premises.  You'll always run into someone you know there -- or someone who knows someone you know!

One thing that might not immediately stand out is the tartar sauce.  It's not served in a plastic container sealed in foil.  It's because they really do make everything they serve.  Nothing is food service.  It's all prepared fresh.  This makes everything you order extra delicious.  If you drive by at any time and don't see a lot of patrons, it doesn't mean they aren't busy.  They are cooking and baking all of the time.

A fish fry is $8.99.  We had New England clam chowder as our started and then a side of fries.  Dinner for two with pop came to $24.00 (that includes tax) -- making the place affordable on top of it all.  It makes sense to eat local and support local businesses -- but if you don't live in Black Rock, come down here and try the place.   You won't be sorry!

A Blast -- and Twin from the Past!

This is the very first incarnation of Millard Fillmore hospital.  It’s pretty cool because it looks just like what the Dayton House would have looked like prior to the Italianate update.  What’s even more of a coincidence, I guess, is that Lewis P. Dayton was a doctor.

Back at that time, the practices of medicine were pretty barbaric and unsuccessful.  Most doctors weren’t formally educated and did not have medical degrees or licenses.  Dr. Augustus Hoxsie developed what is known today as “Homeopathic Medicine.”  The principles are much like our modern science of immunology.  Needing a place to practice this form of medicine, his wife raised funds to build a hospital.  The first building that served as the hospital was a modest three story house at the corner of Washington and North Division Streets. It was rented in 1872 , equipment purchased, and the Buffalo Homeopathic Hospital opened in October of that same year. The staff included six physicians, a nurse, a janitor and house cleaning staff. In the beginning, the hospital could accommodate only three patients.

The hospital quickly expanded and is now operating at Gates Circle (although soon to close and relocate).  M&T Plaza now occupies the site where this home once stood.  Homeopathy has never fallen out of practice and that its birth in the US as a modern form of medicine can be traced to Buffalo is one more thing for our city to be proud of.

And it’s pretty cool that the first hospital looks a lot like the Dayton House!

Great Opportunities!

There is a lot of good news for owners of historic properties like the Dayton House.  The tax credits available as a result of the historic status of these houses means that energy efficient repairs and upgrades are potentially eligible for a 20% credit (i.e. refund) on your income tax.  The amount spent must be at least five thousand dollars.  This amount may be daunting for those who don’t have the cash to put into the house to begin with.

Well, there is a new program offered by the New York State Energy Research Development Authority which may make the cash part of the idea doable for those in historic homes with good credit but not a lot of cash on hand.  It is the On-Bill Recovery Loan program which was announced this week.

Eligible homeowners can finance approved improvements with a low interest loan.  The payments are figured in as part of your monthly utility bill. The interest rate is fixed at just below three percent.  There is a processing fee of $150 and you can borrow up to 13K.  Your monthly installment is not supposed to exceed the amount of savings you will realize by making the repair or upgrade.  You can also pay the loan off early if you’d like. For details on the program, click here.

Things that would qualify for the loan would be air sealing, insulation, boilers, water heaters, air conditioners, light fixtures and some appliances.  Not all of these things would qualify for the historic tax credit but many would.  The work must be done by an Energy Star certified contractor.

One thing we had always wanted to do was put in an exhaust fan in the attic.  That would likely qualify for both the loan program and the historic tax credit.  So might gas inserts for the fireplaces.  Another nice thing about the loan is that it is transferable to the next owner.

Given that the historic tax credit is 20%, you would still come out ahead by taking out the loan – in fact, the credit basically pays for the interest!  And best of all, you’d be helping the house and the environment.