Fargo mansion, demolished. Its grounds included the block now bounded by Pennsylvania, Plymouth, Jersey and West Ave.
The houses on the south side (odd numbers) of Pennsylvania between Plymouth and West are older than those on the north side (even numbers). The land on the north side belonged to the William G. Fargo estate. Mr. Fargo died in 1881 and the land was sold about 1890 when these homes were built.
Fargo mansion, demolished. Its grounds included the block now bounded by Pennsylvania, Plymouth, Jersey and West Ave.
315 Pennsylvania Street was for many years a neighborhood pharmacy and in more recent years, a delicatessen. The storefront is currently vacant.
The small bungalow house at 289 Pennsylvania Street is a great KCA neighborhood success story. Patrick Thomas and Steve Osterstrom, who rented an apartment at the corner of Orton and Hudson for several years, bid on an abandoned property marketed by HUD at 289 Pennsylvania. They acquired the property, renovated it in less than a year and converted it from an abandoned property to an owner occupied dwelling. They completed their garden renovations in time for the annual Garden Walk in July 2001 and their new home was visited by hundreds of garden walk attendees.
303, 301, and 299 Pennsylvania are the oldest homes on this block, as they date to about 1870. In early 2000, 301 Pennsylvania was sided with yellow color vinyl imitation clapboard. As this house is outside of the Allentown Preservation District, there are no preservation codes to prevent this from occurring. However, the siding company did a fair job of respecting the original design of the house, especially preserving the ornament in the gable. If siding can be applied in a way which minimizes changes to original exterior wood siding (clapboards, shingles or other details) and protects the building from elements and deterioration that would otherwise result in decay, siding itself can actually be a preservation tool. There is even a technical term for this type of preservation - encapsulation.
While many homes within the KCA boundaries were constructed in the 1880s and designed by notable local architects, some houses were designed and built by skilled Buffalo carpenters. Two notable 19th century builders even resided within present KCA boundaries. The first was the father and son team of James W. and James N. Byers. Father and son lived next door to each other at 299 and 301 Pennsylvania, respectively. James W. Byers started building houses in Buffalo circa 1862 and by the mid-1880s had a staff of 15 carpenters. His team built several homes within the KCA boundaries including 36 Orton, 13 St. John’s, and 18 St. John’s Place. Late in his life James W. moved up the street at 337 Pennsylvania and remained there until his death in 1910.
A second father and son construction team that lived in the neighborhood was Richard and William M. Caudell. Richard was an early Symphony Circle resident - by 1875 he called 497 Porter Avenue his family home. At that time he was co-owner of a firm called Frederick and Caudell, manufacturers of doors, sash, blinds, flooring, siding, moldings, brackets and lumber. Richard eventually built a new house for himself at 154 Fargo, while his son William remained at the Porter Avenue homestead. William joined his father as a partner in 1881 and it was noted that William was “one of the most perfect mechanics” in Buffalo.
With the building boom that Buffalo experienced in the early 1880s Richard became a full time contractor and builder. While he built homes on many sites in the west side of Buffalo, he was especially prolific within the present KCA boundaries. He built 307, 322, 328, 342, 344 and 346 Pennsylvania between 1880 and 1882. Between 1886 and 1888 he also built 44 Orton Place, 11 Plymouth Avenue, 314 Hudson, 318 Hudson and 322 Hudson St.
Although Caudell was not a formally trained architect, all of his residential designs were artistic. Caudell himself said that his houses showed “taste and originality,” and that they were built with a “master hand.” He also said that his houses were “architecturally ornamented,” and “luxuriously and artistically finished.” His late 1880s designs featured an unusual exuberant wood-paneled verge board in the gable that became his signature motif. While there were other builders, carpenters and architects who lived in the neighborhood during the 1880s and 1890s, the Byers’ and Caudell’s made an exceptional and significant impact in their (now our) neighborhood. In 1884 Caudell himself stated that because he built houses in the neighborhood he thought of himself as a “public benefactor in the contributions that [were] made to the real estate of the city.” Through their work these early neighborhood residents really did, in the most literal sense of the word, build their community!
As a contrast between builders who were also designers, homes designed by professional architects can be observed across Pennsylvania Street. There is a good chance that the large dwelling at 290 Pennsylvania Street was designed by architect John G. Balsam and 298 Pennsylvania was designed by C. D. Swan. Both of these houses were built about 1890. 298 Pennsylvania is especially notable because of the lively colors used to accentuate the fine detail of the home.
306 Pennsylvania is a large house built circa 1890 which is owned by someone who does not live in the area. The building was the scene of an alleged drug bust in 1998. Neighborhood residents solicited help from the City of Buffalo and received assistance from City of Buffalo Deputy Corporation Counsel David J. State. Mr. State was able to evict the tenants on the basis that the site was being used for illegal, criminal activities. The effort shows the good that can come out of cooperation between neighborhood residents, law enforcement officials and city/county legal resources.
312 Pennsylvania was constructed as a single family home in May of 1890 by contractor Harvey Howell for his family. Howell was a native of Ontario where he built light houses before moving to Buffalo about 1880. In 1943 the home was purchased at an auction by Don and Molly Angelo and converted to apartments. Three generations of the Angelo family have resided in the home - Molly and daughter Ann still do. In the 1980s the yard of the adjacent property was purchased and a covered deck and gardens were added. Having gone through many changes, the large Queen Anne style home is notable for its half-brick construction and three story tower.
Ann Angelo is a community activist and Facilitator of the Symphony Circle Steering Committee. Much of the sustained efforts in the revitalization of Symphony Circle can be attributed to Ann’s work.
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