This block is particularly interesting due to its diverse architectural style which clearly discloses the evolution of the block. Two commercial enterprises compliment the residential foundation of the area - at 350 Pennsylvania, The Coda restaurant, owned by Susan Persico caters to the Buffalo community and concert goers on weekends. Dr. Persico renovated the building a few years ago; it was formerly Orwhat's Deli in the 1980s. The Coda is a remarkable improvement over its former venue.
One hundred years ago, 350 Pennsylvania was home to Dr. Henry Baethig, who operated his general practice from this location. Dr. Baethig had a loyal following and his attentive service was the stuff of legend, when doctors still made house calls and were part of the community for which they cared.
Current owner Dr. Persico has created a “secret garden” in back of The Coda which at one time was a car port and now serves as the smoking section of the restaurant. Dr. Persico is an important contributor to the neighborhood and has participated in the Garden Walk year after year. In addition to this building and her home at 343 Pennsylvania, she also oversaw the design of the gardens at 10 Orton Place, on the corner of Hudson Street.
The second commercial enterprise at the other end of the block at 321 Pennsylvania is Chuck's Barber Shop, a well-known neighborhood anchor that has been at its present location for decades.
Perhaps the oldest home on this block is the residence at 335 Pennsylvania. A frame Italianate built about 1866, the home is unique because of its ornate cable moldings surrounding its round-arched windows. The home is also notable because of its fine paired brackets supporting the gable ends and unusual dentilation. The house was built for John Gardiner Johnson and his wife Harriet who owned the Queen City Stencil and Rubber stamp works.
This house changed hands recently and the transaction is a good example of the commitment that residents have to this area. For many years, the owners of this home, Candace Church and Dinah Gamin, restored and preserved it. They were even winners of the Allentown Beautification Award. In 1994, when they moved around the corner to 42 Orton Place, they made sure that the next person who owned the house was as sensitive to the needs of this unique house as were they.
346 Pennsylvania is a good example of the type of house that was being designed in the late 1870s. The house was built in the spring of 1880 by Richard Caudell for Girard McVickar, a foreman with Ruger and Co., an iron works firm located at 222 Chicago Street. The Second Empire cottage is notable for its Gothic-style dormer windows and tower.
The majority of the remaining homes on this block were built between 1880-1885 and were designed in the Queen Anne style. Most of them are in excellent states of preservation due to the commitment of the people who live here.
The home at 343 Pennsylvania was built in 1886 by William F. O’Rourke. Like many homes built on intersecting street corners during this period, the house was constructed with a three-story tower on its east side, facing Orton Place. Dr. Persico purchased and restored this home several years ago and has made gardening a cornerstone in its continued development. Dr. Persico erected the romantic arch over the Orton Place sidewalk to support her wisteria’s explosive growth. 329 Pennsylvania is a Queen Anne style home that is well known because of its detailed veranda whose creation is attributed to its original owner, Martin Kuhn, a carpenter by trade. What is not well known is that this house was built in 1868 and was originally an Italianate cottage. Kuhn remodeled and “modernized” it twice: once in 1882, giving it a mansard (also known as Second Empire) roof, and again in 1886 when it took its present appearance. The current owners went to great lengths to restore the detailed Victorian wrap-around porch in 2001. Every detail of the porch was meticulously preserved during the restoration process.
325 Pennsylvania St. The homes at 337 and 324 Pennsylvania deserve special mention. 337 Pennsylvania is a typical home of its period (1884), but was completely ravaged by fire in 1995. Its owners, Mr. and Mrs. Speer, carefully restored the building, saving it from destruction. In the neatly restored Victorian home designed in 1881 by architect B. W. S. Clark at 332 Pennsylvania lives Sue Byron, Secretary of the Kleinhans Community Association. 324 Pennsylvania had been abandoned for several years, but has been renovated by its current owner, Mr. Patrick Moreton. A new period-sensitive porch and paint job was completed in 1998.
325 Pennsylvania retains its wrap-around verandah and was built in 1886 for prominent Buffalonian John G. Wickser. It was designed by architect George Metzger. In 1999 Danny Greenway, the home’s present owner, undertook a complete exterior restoration of his Queen Anne style home. Roof, clapboards and period carved wood elements were restored and the house was repainted. Danny also had the wrap-around verandah completely rebuilt with 5 supporting columns and generous gingerbread work. The verandah is stunning and underscores that Buffalo Victorian homes were designed with verandahs in mind. When they are demolished or reduced to a stoop, it changes the entire character of a Queen Anne style dwelling. The verandah is a Victorian home's crowning glory, and certainly encourages social interaction - art and society in harmony! The restoration was recognized by the Allentown Association, Inc. as it was the winner of a 2000 Allentown Beautification award.
The house at 322 Pennsylvania at the corner of Plymouth is a lovely Victorian frame cottage, although the first story windows have been changed and are incongruous with its original design. The home was designed and built in 1882 by Richard Caudell for Thomas Robinson, owner of Thomas Robinson & Co., a lumber company located at Ganson Street near Mills Dry Dock. The house has been converted to four apartments and has been abandoned for nearly two years. At the time of this writing, the house is in danger of being demolished. The house was surrounded by a wrought iron fence from the 19th century but was taken down in the summer of 1998 by its owner. The same type of fence can be observed at 34 Orton Place, a site on our next stop.
Back to KCA Current Topics Page