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SPECIAL KCA CLEANUP AND PLANTING SCHEDULED FOR
Please bring gloves and brooms. Flower planters
will be planted and litter picked up in the neighborhood.
CENTRAL DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE
Since that time, The Buffalo News has endorsed Jayne, and this is what it said about her: Although write-in candidacies are difficult at best, we take the unusual step of endorsing a write-in candidate in this race. Jayne K. Rand simply brings an immense amount of financial and business expertise to her bid for a seat on a board facing financial challenges. That skill set is impossible to overlook. Rand is a vice president of M&T Bank and a director of Rand Capital Corp., with strong communications skills and an ability to digest financial data that would serve the district well. She is also committed to working with teachers, and her 20 years in deal-making as a mortgage banker has honed her ability to hear concerns, balance interests, focus on collaboration and reach consensus. The election is Tuesday May 1 at your regular polling place. Because Jayne is a write-in candidate, you can't just pull a lever to vote for her. You have to follow this easy procedure:
That's it! If you have a problem or get confused, ask one of the voting inspectors for help. Thank you so much. Buffalo's school children and taxpayers will appreciate your effort.
DEADLINE FOR 2007 GARDEN WALK APPLICATION
ALLENTOWN ASSOCIATION SPRING DINNER SCHEDULED
BRUSH UP BUFFALO TO TARGET KCA-AREA HOMES
HISTORIC HOUSING SEMINAR CONTINUES IN MAY AND JUNE
“HELP! I just bought a house in Allentown and don’t understand the process to make changes to my house.” “Are there only certain colors that I can paint my Allentown house?” The Allentown Association receives many phone calls, letters and E-mail communications asking just these types of questions. In response to the most popular queries posed to the Association and in keeping with the Association’s 2007 objective to focus on historic preservation, education and outreach, the Allentown Association has partnered with the Karpeles Manuscript Museum (North and Porter Halls) and area experts including Jeff Brennan, Alison Fleishmann, Michael Gainer, Harvey Garrett, Dennis Masters and Martin Wachadlo, who will bring important information of interest to those who own homes or are thinking of purchasing a home in the Allentown Historic Preservation District. Other presentations will focus on notable architectural or historical structures found within the Allentown District. Each presentation will be held on a Thursday evening, beginning at 6:30 pm and will end by 7:45 pm. Bringing people together to discuss a particular topic will be more than just a one-way exchange of information. The Association hopes that people interested in the topic being presented will ask questions and the event will give attendees an opportunity to come together and network among themselves. The presentations are free to the public, and sponsored by the Allentown Association, Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc. and the Karpeles Document Manuscript Museums. Started in Feb. 2007, the series continues in May with these interesting topics:
ALLENTOWN ART FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY
ORTON PLACE BLOCK SALE SCHEDULED FOR
GRASSROOTS GARDENS GETS ITS OWN WEBSITE
URBAN ROOTS OPENS COMMUNITY GARDEN CENTER AT
6TH DISTRICT ERIE COUNTY LEGISLATOR MARIA WHYTE
LIVABLE COMMUNITY, GARDENWALK SICA GRANTS, GRASSROOTS
The improvements are planned for completion by the end of May 2007. Grassroots Gardens donated daffodil bulbs to help beautify the street as well. 700 daffodil bulbs were planted on Plymouth Avenue between Hudson Street and Pennsylvania Street that bloomed in April 2007.
SOME PROPERTIES IN KLEINHANS NEIGHBORHOOD WILL BENEFIT FROM
PLANNING FOR RE-USE OF SCHOOL 36 DELAYED UNTIL 2009
PEACE PRINTS SONG PREMIERS, A TRIBUTE TO SR. KAREN KLIMCZAK
THE PLYMOUTH AVENUE RECLAMATION PROJECT REACHES MILESTONE
Sabine VanWyck-Haney says she feels like she “won the lottery” when she moved into the “new” home that she recently purchased at 44 Plymouth Avenue, a sturdy and practical one-and-a-half story fawn-colored cottage that has housed Buffalonians since Millard Fillmore was in the White House. While home sales happen every day, this one was special, a cause for a neighborhood celebration. When Sabine moved into the home, it marked a nearly five-year milestone that involved teamwork and collaboration between dozens of individuals and organizations, driven by Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc., a not-for-profit community development corporation, as part of The Plymouth Avenue Reclamation Project. The house sale even prompted Brian C. Davis, Ellicott District Councilmember, to thank everyone involved for their “continuous, hard work in and around the Ellicott District. Without this sort of teamwork I am sure many will feel like all they do is spin their wheels.” The Plymouth Avenue Reclamation Project continues with Heart of the City’s reconfiguration and renovation of another nearby house at 23 Plymouth Avenue into a four-bedroom 2,100 square foot single family home. The story of the five-year journey is a fascinating one that deserves to be told. The first block of Plymouth Avenue, between Hudson Street and Pennsylvania Street, has seen both the best and worst of times. Once the home of mid-to-late nineteenth century mansions and country estates, by the 1970s, the block had decayed to the point where it became a backdrop for a motorcycle clubhouse, drug dealers and addicts, prostitutes and seedy rooming houses. Property disinvestment was rampant, spreading from house to house. The first block of Plymouth Avenue’s ills threatened the stability of the highly successful Allentown and Kleinhans neighborhoods, immediately to the east and north of the block. Yet even in its darkest days, Plymouth Avenue was not without its charms, like a wilted flower that could rebound with water and tender-loving-care. The block is close to Allentown restaurants, coffeehouses and boutiques along with other downtown conveniences and is surrounded by more stable blocks of housing. It is immediately adjacent to Kleinhans Music Hall and the Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Days Park and Symphony Circle. Its attractive brick and wood-frame housing stock is solidly constructed and designed within a pedestrian-based context, before the age of the automobile. Cultural venues within walking distance abound including: Kleinhans Music Hall and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, D’Youville College, Kavinoky Theater, Theater of Youth, Karpeles Document Manuscript Museum, the Niagara branch public library, LaSalle Park and several art galleries. Yet most significant of all, the block celebrates its diverse multi-cultural roots and strives to create an inclusive healthy environment for all its residents. These challenges and the potential for the block’s renaissance compelled a consortium of community partners including: Heart of the City Neighborhoods, the Kleinhans Community Association, West Side Neighborhood Housing Services, the University at Buffalo, and the City of Buffalo in conjunction with private residents, businesses and support organizations to stabilize the block. Initial work began in the late 1980s with the construction of a new house sponsored by West Side Neighborhood Housing Services on the site of a burned-out former manse at 38 Plymouth Avenue. A few years later, HUD funds were used to redevelop and transform a former estate at 24-30 Plymouth Avenue into 20 studio and one-bedroom apartments suitable for single residents. It was at this time that pedestrian-scaled Victorian-style street lamps were installed to compliment the block’s nineteenth century housing stock. These initial isolated efforts, while significant, had hit a roadblock by the mid-1990s when crime rose and housing abandonment escalated. The block was a hotbed of drug dealing and other criminal behaviors. It was not uncommon to find heroin needles lying about, prostitutes turning tricks on corners, or teenagers shooting up under street lamps. The problem came to a head in 2002 when, like a scene from a Wild-West movie, a duel was fought between residents living across the street from each other in the middle of the block at 44 and 39 Plymouth Avenue. Innocent bystanders were shot and some neighboring homes were riddled with bullet holes. A short time later, the owner of 44 Plymouth Avenue was arrested by the FBI for drug dealing and the house was seized. Law abiding residents said “enough is enough” and focused intense efforts to reclaim the block using a holistic approach of crime prevention, housing improvement initiatives, beautification/gardening efforts, social service referrals/outreach and a lot of courage, hope and prayers! Pioneers of change included Candace Church and Dinah Gamin, residents of nearby lovely Orton Place, who purchased two properties behind their home: an abandoned and abused house at 43 Plymouth Avenue and a house occupied by known notorious drug dealers at 42 Plymouth Avenue. They razed 43 Plymouth Avenue and converted the site to a beautiful garden that is opened on the annual Buffalo GardenWalk. It has been a perennial favorite since then, visited by thousands of people every year.
Next, Gamin and Church, in conjunction with neighborhood volunteers, undertook the transformation of 42 Plymouth Avenue into Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc.’s new home, dedicated on July 24, 2004. That day marked the dawn of a dramatic and memorable period when positive changes on the block began to show forward momentum, chartered by the organization’s presence on the street and its hands-on housing projects. Sadly, Candace Church passed away before the completion of the structure’s renovation and dedication, but her spirit, determination and drive have continued to inspire others’ work on the block. Nestled in their new home, Heart of the City pushed The Plymouth Avenue Reclamation Project forward with the renovation of two abandoned properties: 44 Plymouth Avenue and 23 Plymouth Avenue.
44 Plymouth Avenue, a vacant former drug dealer’s home and flop house, narrowly escaped demolition. In its ill-famed heyday, the first floor was filled, wall-to-wall, with dirty, stained mattresses and the front door was left open for anyone who dared to enter. Visitors could buy drugs, inject them into their bodies, crash on one of the mattresses and leave when the spirit moved them. After the house was seized by the federal government, neighborhood residents, concerned about its future, raised $2,500 towards its stabilization and volunteered their time and energy for property clean-up and maintenance. The once-respectable cottage, built in the early 1850s for Erie County’s commissioner of deeds, was then completely rebuilt from the ground up. The story had a happy ending when the house was re-sold to Sabine in February 2007. A new chapter in the house’s history is about to unfold now that the powerful transformation from a drug-flophouse to a cheery and charming owner-occupied home is complete. A dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony took place on April 20, 2007 and was attended by nearly 50 people. With The Plymouth Avenue Reclamation Project’s planned housing improvements underway, the group focused its attention on combating street crime. An effective neighborhood watch was established to promptly report suspicious activity to the Buffalo Police. Improved communication channels were opened between homeowners and landlords of the block’s remaining apartment houses. Known havens of criminal activity were targeted for inspection and one result of these efforts was that 318 Hudson Street, a house with a troubled history near the corner of Plymouth Avenue, was vacated. In another example, Joe Delaney, an area resident and architect, took possession of three of the neighborhood’s most crime-ridden and blighted houses at 136-144 Cottage Street near Plymouth Avenue. He transformed the houses into places of beauty that contribute to the stability of the neighborhood rather than detracting from it. From these small beginnings, The Plymouth Avenue Reclamation Project has snowballed; everyone seems to contribute what they can to help. While not-for-profit and governmental agencies have played a big role in Plymouth Avenue’s rebound, private residents have also played an important part. One such resident is John Gulick, who saved the historically significant Sidway mansion barn at 32 Plymouth Avenue from destruction. The barn, built in the 1840s, is the last permanent link to Margaret St. John, whose house was the only one spared when the Village of Buffalo was burned to the ground during the War of 1812. The barn belonged to Margaret’s daughter, Parnell, and once was home to Margaret’s cow, whose job it was to provide milk for Margaret’s grandchildren. By the 1980s, the barn was an abandoned and roofless ruin scheduled for demolition. It was saved only through John’s unfettered belief that it needed to be preserved and is today his home and business, “J.A. Gulick Window Co.,” that specializes in architectural window systems, restoration and fabrication. To address some of the social challenges on the block, John employs and trains at-risk youths. Despite a few bad apples that made the first block of Plymouth Avenue infamous throughout Buffalo, the reality is that people who cared about the block far outnumbered people who did not. One such example is Josephine Villa, an elderly resident of the block who lived at 15 Plymouth Avenue for over 60 years. She didn’t want to leave her home, but couldn’t keep up with the big house any longer. Concerned about the house’s future, she transferred it to West Side Neighborhood Housing Services so that they, in conjunction with Heart of the City Neighborhoods and the Kleinhans Community Association, could work to find someone to live in the property and restore it.
Longtime nearby neighborhood residents also pitched in, people like Chuck Cordone and Susan Persico. Chuck has operated “Chuck’s Artistic Barber Shop” at 321 Pennsylvania Street on the corner of Plymouth Avenue for decades, although he leased it. Chuck’s son recently purchased the building to ensure that the business is there for a long time to come and to demonstrate a commitment to the neighborhood’s stability. Directly across the street, Susan Persico, another veteran resident of the area, purchased a vacant building at 315 Pennsylvania Street, a classic 1880s Victorian storefront with owner’s apartment above it. Susan has begun renovations and the first thing she did was paint the structure her trademark bright color scheme as a personal declaration of reclamation. While longtime residents of the neighborhood have known about the block’s potential, the recent energy, enthusiasm and positive change shown on the street has encouraged new folks to move onto the block. Lauren Kostek and Gabe Price purchased and moved into a house at 314 Hudson Street at the corner of Plymouth Avenue and completely renovated the grand old turreted Queen Anne-style manse. But they didn’t stop there; they then purchased a house across the street at 315 Hudson Street and did the same. From the new roof to the new plumbing, electrical systems, windows and walls that were installed, Lauren and Gabe performed thorough yet sensitive renovations. During the same period that all these highly visible changes took place, several less noticeable yet equally significant positive changes occurred. Three homes changed status from absentee-owned rentals to owner-occupied structures: 17, 39 and 55 Plymouth Avenue have all sold in 2006 or 2007 and the new owner-occupants are restoring and renovating them. Perhaps one of the most satisfying outcomes of The Plymouth Avenue Reclamation Project is that a few damaged houses on the block that would have been written off in many other neighborhoods are being saved. 34 Plymouth Avenue, a handsomely-designed Queen Anne style house, was fire-damaged and slated for demolition. A trio of concerned citizens, including architects Joe Delaney and David Stieglitz, along with window restoration expert John Gulick has acquired the house and currently is planning its restoration. A vacant house at 35 Plymouth Avenue was purchased in 2005 at a city of Buffalo tax auction by the daughter of long-term owner-occupants who live next door at 33 Plymouth Avenue. Her family has renovated the house, moved in, and has brought new life to the block with her family’s children. It has been a very long time since the sounds and sights of bright-eyed and energetic youngsters have been heard and seen playing on the street. Another long-vacant house at 49 Plymouth Avenue whose future was in jeopardy is now home to a minister from the Dominican Republic and the house serves as a Spanish-language Pentecostal mission. The late Victorian manse at 18 Plymouth Avenue is being slowly restored by its owner, Joseph Dallos, Jr., after being abandoned for nearly a decade. The manse’s original carriage house has also been preserved after being rescued from the city of Buffalo’s “slum and blight” demolition list.
To compliment The Plymouth Avenue Reclamation Project’s crime prevention and housing improvement initiatives, the community worked on beautification and infrastructure improvements on the block. The most significant change was the creation of an award-winning bus shelter designed by UB architecture professor and Allentown resident Brad Wales and his students, decorated with art tiles made by Nancy Gabriel. Several of the students who worked on the project were so positively impressed by the neighborhood and Brad’s passion for it that they purchased homes nearby. The bus shelter project was followed up with the construction of artistic street sign poles and beautification initiatives such as the installation of flower planters and “Welcome to the Neighborhood” signs. The community aggressively attacked litter problems by sponsoring several cleanups on the block each month. Residents have also worked, in conjunction with Buffalo’s forester, to plan for new trees as well as maintaining the block’s existing trees, including a beautiful and rare American Elm. Residents of Plymouth Avenue are eagerly anticipating spring 2007 when 700 daffodils, planted by the block’s residents, will sprout on the public planting strip between the sidewalk and the curb. To emphasize the block’s connection to the Allentown Historic Preservation District, a “Welcome to Allentown” sign is planned to be installed in spring 2007 on the northeast corner of Plymouth Avenue and Hudson Street. The next major 2007 milestone in The Plymouth Avenue Reclamation Project is Heart of the City Neighborhood’s renovation of the picturesque Victorian house at 23 Plymouth Avenue. Constructed in 1872 by builder John Cook, it incorporates the architectural features of yesteryear. The two-story wooden house features an L-shaped frame, a first-story bay window, wide eaves and a gable decorated with dentils and scroll-saw cut brackets. When the house was first completed 135 years ago, Cook boasted that the house was “well-built,” and in a “splendid” neighborhood. He sold the house for $3,500 to James H. Rodebaugh, a grain and mill feed shipping businessman. After Rodebaugh left 23 Plymouth Avenue, several others called it home, but its longest-term owner was Norman McLeod and his wife Blanche, who lived there for over 50 years from the 1890s through the 1940s. If the ghost of McLeod, who was an interior decorator, haunts 23 Plymouth Avenue, he must have looked on disapprovingly as he watched the house decay in the years following his death until it was completely abandoned by the early 1990s. For the next 15 years, the house sat vacant, slowly rotting, with only the sturdy craftsmanship of its original builder giving it any chance to be rescued from certain destruction. In 1999 the house was purchased by a neighborhood resident who worked with Heart of the City Neighborhoods to plan for its renovation.
Work began on the house in earnest during late autumn 2006 and has continued throughout the winter. First, the roof was stabilized and then an architecturally complementary porch was constructed. The house’s deep-set eaves and decorative Victorian brackets were retained, yet modern conveniences have been introduced such as new windows, heating and plumbing systems, drywall and insulation. Exterior siding was used that imitates wooden clapboards, an improvement over the asphalt and mineral-fiber asbestos siding that was previously installed in the 1970s.
When the renovation is complete, planned for April or May 2007, the house will be re-sold and another new homeowner will be moving into 23 Plymouth Avenue. The future of the block continues to look bright with several housing development projects on the drawing board. The Kleinhans Community Association, in conjunction with the Days Park Block Club, is working to redevelop School 36, with its footprint on Hudson Street, Cottage Street and Days Park, into residential housing after it is shuttered in 2009. Heart of the City Neighborhoods also plans to build eight residential units near the corner of Plymouth Avenue and Hudson Street on the site of the former Sidway Mansion. The goals of The Plymouth Avenue Reclamation Project, to improve the quality of life and housing of the formerly blighted first block of Plymouth Avenue without displacing existing residents, has been highly successful and is a true testament of the power of teamwork, passion and communication. So it’s easy to see why Sabine, the new owner of 44 Plymouth Avenue, is “so excited” to be part of such an energetic, diverse community. For more information about Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc., contact Kristy Palumbo, at 716-882-7661 or heartofthecity@verizon.net.
KCA WORKS TO SAVE 288 HUDSON STREET
For more information, see the Buffalo Rising post , or the City of Buffalo real estate catalog file.
CRIME WATCH ALERT:
As a reminder, please keep all doors and windows locked when you are away, and make sure you leave an outside light on, or have a motion-detector light on your home. If you have an alarm system, make sure you activate it and that it is being monitored properly. Please keep an eye out for your neighbors and if you see any suspicious activity, please report it to the police right away.
HOUSING CHANGES IN KCA NEIGHBORHOOD
RARE HOUSING OPPORTUNITY ON ORTON PLACE
BULK TRASH PICKUP IN NEIGHBORHOOD SCHEDULED
Ellicott District
KCA VOTES TO FIGHT DEMOLITION OF 419 PORTER AVE.
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