Delaware Avenue Holdout
The restoration of 153 Delaware Avenue, better-known for its former color (blue) than its address, has been quietly underway for eight months. Located just north of the Statler and across the street from New Era’s new headquarters, it is one the last historic mansions located ‘downtown.’ Howard Goldman purchased the mansion in December 2006 from Carl Paladino and his son Billy of Ellicott Development. He had been interested in the address for several years and purchased it less than a week after discovering that it was available.
“I plan on utilizing the property as a personal residence for the wife and myself,” says Goldman. “I also look forward to the opportunity of offering use of the facility to my favorite organizations. The property’s downtown government and financial core proximity attracted me.”
According to Father Edward Dunn’s book, Buffalo’s Delaware Avenue Mansions and Families (published by Canisius College Press), Hiram Hotchkiss, a jeweler from Connecticut, built the house in 1865 (photo above). It was later sold to Dr. Thomas Lothrop, a Buffalo School Superintendent. By the 1940’s it had evolved into a bar and rooming house. Later, it became the Roundtable Restaurant of which New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner was an active partner.
In the 1990’s it entered its nightclub and gay bar phase. Most recently it was Club Tantra, before that Club Cobalt, Club Aluminum, Club Heat, and others. With the Balcom-Chandler house sadly demolished, the property is now the last remaining house in the immediate vicinity of Niagara Square.
Interior designer Paul Lamorticella and architect David Sutton (Buffalo Chop House, Laughlin’s, Brownstone Bistro, Oliver’s) have been retained to oversee restoration of the 6,000 sq.ft. building. The restoration will strive to achieve historical correctness. According to Goldman, he will be “performing much of the work myself for enjoyment, exercise, fresh air, and penny pinching.”
“I am enjoying this new experience because I am learning a new set of skills. I have spent most of my career behind a computer. For my day job, I own a small company that manufactures GPS vehicle tracking systems,” says Goldman. “As a hobby, I have done some classic car restorations but I have never done anything with brick and mortar. I enjoy the satisfaction that comes along with doing a job one’s self. I often kid with my neighbor Bashar Issa that he should do more of the Statler restoration with his own hands rather than paying others to have his fun for him.”
A full restoration has begun with the removal of the blue paint from the exterior bricks and from the red Medina sandstone foundation and accents. During the eight months that he has owned the house, Goldman has stabilized the various mechanicals so that the place is secure and does not "self-destruct."
The house features a commercial kitchen the size of a four-car garage with a 22-foot deep walk-in refrigerator. There is also a walled outer courtyard, a jazz lounge (that will stay) and six fireplaces. The upstairs is a total rehab but fortunately the original house floor plan and trim are intact and will serve as a valuable guide. The upstairs was last remodeled on May 14, 1914. On that day the painter/decorator signed the wall. It appears to be untouched since that time. “I would call the decor Early Horror Movie,” says Goldman.
The front of the house from the turret to the north side is a drawing room with a side parlor. That room will be a combination drawing room and home office. It has five windows with old style heavy 1/4" plate glass with views of treetops, Delaware Avenue, Niagara Square, and City Hall. It has an intact fireplace and mantle.
Behind the drawing room is a long dark hallway that runs the width of the house to the master bedroom. The bedroom fireplace is visible as you look down the hallway. The master bedroom has a window view of City Hall and the federal courthouse site (picture below). It also has a larger window with a view of Delaware Avenue. There is one other bedroom on the second floor and two smaller bedrooms on the third floor.
The first floor will be used to entertain friends and to host special functions. Paul Lamorticella is designing everything in the interior to be at least dual use. For example, the dining room may convert to a business conference room and then to a corporate boardroom. The theater may be converted from performance, classical recital, or jazz lounge to a suitable venue for award presentations, lectures, and press conferences. Large areas of the front room may be arranged into smaller areas to accommodate several small groups of people, each equipped with a fireplace. A food and beverage staging area will be placed strategically to eliminate trips back and forth to the kitchen.
"Paul and David expressed to me that they especially enjoy this particular project because it is not a typical commercial project and we won't have to rush our ideas in order to make a hard deadline," says Goldman. "The house will help us determine the final details as its character reveals itself to us. We currently meet once a month at the house to maintain the momentum. I work on the house every day after work and on weekends. Two weeks ago I purchased a sky lift and I have been using it almost every day."
There are few buildings as old as 153 Delaware Avenue downtown. Thanks to Goldman's work, this holdout is hanging on.
Photos by Howard Goldman, ‘BuffaloBloviator’
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chris69
I have one comment and I want to shout it from the rooftops....
SEE YOU CAN REMOVE PAINT FROM BRICKS AND STONES. IT CAN BE DONE!
LESSON TO THE SQUIRE MANSION ON MAIN AND ALL THE OTHER HORRIBLY PAINTED BRICK AND STONE BUILDINGS!
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rickyrick
Does this mean, when and if Delaware Ave. becomes loud and busy with surrounding development, the owner will complain of NOISE and want everything around his property to shut down early, no construction around his home and so on, for which is the norm in this town.
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VictrolaMan
Ricky, in what 'town' does anyone welcome noise and disruption? Or are you just being stupid? Oh, you are. Silly me.
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42nate
Yay Howard! When are you restoring the glitter ball over the dance floor? Just kidding.
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UrbanBody
The building could be great with loving restoration. Definitely moving in the right direction, and it's great to see Goldman invest, yet again, in the city.
However, the bldg sits in a sea of parking lots. Does this "island" hinder higher & better use for the (ripe) entire block? I could envision a complementary development both in use (residential) and period architecture --- a dense mix of maybe five-story townhouses/condos? --surrounding the bldg. Modern towers, if that is the future, on adjacent properties would look odd, but it has done been before. One example that comes to mind is a Church stuck in an offset nook of a huge dept. store in San Antonio--it's an eye-catcher in that it is so out of place. Like I said, who knows, and mixed emotions about that critical block in a booming area.
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Jay
great to see an investor restoring historic properties, but really? here?
i walk by this strip everyday and was thinking it would be better suited for a larger development. it sits in the middle of one of the largest expanses of surface parking in one of the hottest development areas of the city. i never thought someone would choose it for the neighborhood and decide to restore the house and live here?! sounds a bit wacky.
why would someone wanna live in a parking lot?
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Biniszkiewicz
chris69: bricks of this vintage were generally not kiln dried and therefore (because they lack the hard surface which comes from firing) they are not impervious to weather. Rather, older style bricks will absorb moisture and spall (disintegrate) over time with freeze/thaw cycles if left unpainted/unprotected. If this gentleman retains the unpainted look I certainly hope he puts a clear protective coating on the masonry and maintains it. These earlier bricks were expected to be painted (indeed, like wood, they need paint or at least clearcoat as protection). I used to hate, hate, hate the look of painted brick. Now I often prefer it to the plain look.
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rob66
What an awesomet view of city hall.
I always thought this place would make a great Howl at the Moon. www.howlatthemoon.com
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EricOak
This is what will make Buffalo unique. The loss of the Balcolm-Chandler house was embarrassing to Buffalo, but this project provides some welcome consolation.
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hodgepodge
victrolaman; rickyrick is right and it's happened before and is happening now: i.e, the residents of City Centre buying & moving in and then complaining about the noise from chippewa. oh, sorry, silly me, the complaints of a few really should shut down the whole of chippewa
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kjthomas77
i am thrilled that someone is reviving this once glorious building, but i wonder what he will do to soften the exterior space...i certainly hope he puts some money into removing some of the concrete surface at least around the periphery of the building...i realize he is surrounded by parking lots, but this lot, and this area especially, is in dire need of some greenspace, no matter how small...it will only elevate the building's exterior...
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downtowndweller
It's great that people are rediscovering the original use of thse magnificent buildings on Delaware. If only the awful building at 430 Delaware (corner of Edward) would get cleaned up too. That building is a disgrace. Visitors from out of town have great experiences at the Mansion and then have to look across the street and see the pathetic building with its tenants and occasional dumpster fires.
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BROKEEPSBLOCKINGME
different Goldman
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Rebecca
He has to know what he is getting into living in that neighborhood.
I'm more interested in what his favorite organizations are!
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tommyBluez
I'd LOVE to see the inside of this place when he finishes....
I worked there when it was COBALT - and the first floor was kind of gutted, I know when they opened they had done well over 100,000 in work - the ceilings were falling down, rats falling out... the plumbing in that whole building was absolutely horrible. We had to close down a few Saturday nights because it got so backed up.
They mentioned an in tact fireplace, that must have been coverd up - I don't remember seeing that in there.... At any rate, the exterior has the potential to be a beautiful building, and the inside sounds like it's oging to be amazing. I can only imagine though, after working there for a year and knowing what the inside was like how much it's going to cost him.
It's a shame to see that all the other houses that used to be around it are gone --- I always htought it was originally some sort of commercial building because of where it is and no other nearby houses.
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RonR
Any chance he could buy some of the parking around the home to make a side and back yard?
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Bizzles
I guess it's nice that a lovely building like this won't sit around to rot any longer, but I always felt that it would be acceptable to lose this one in place of a larger development on this key site...
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GraphicRage
I love that old building, glad someone is doing something with it other than another nightclub which seems destined to doom in this location. I too hope he can crack up some of that hard service and return some greenspace to it.
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VictrolaMan
Biniszkiewicz wrote:
chris69: bricks of this vintage were generally not kiln dried and therefore (because they lack the hard surface which comes from firing) they are not impervious to weather. Rather, older style bricks will absorb moisture and spall (disintegrate) over time with freeze/thaw cycles if left unpainted/unprotected. If this gentleman retains the unpainted look I certainly hope he puts a clear protective coating on the masonry and maintains it. These earlier bricks were expected to be painted
I think you meant "kiln fired" - "kiln dried" is for lumber.
A good preservative for old bricks is linseed oil, which soaks into the clay and won't flake off. Sand-blasting has destroyed too many brick building, by removing the original surface (and most of these WERE fired in kilns, by the way - only the cheapest bricks were air-dried in the 1800s, and those were meant for filling wall cavities)
Most happy to see this place saved, despite any fantasies about 'prime development' at this spot.
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urbanesque
I fell in love with this building when I worked at Club Heat and Club Aluminum (for a few nights) in the early 90s. This building has tremendous history and character, it is good to see it being put to good use. I am sure that you might find a few hidden surprises as your work progresses through the house, especially in some of the upstairs rooms. I hope you open some of the bricked in windows and restore the porches that were removed, this will change the entire look and feel of the place.
Good luck Mr. Goldman, I hope that this turns out well for you!
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Texpat10
I haven't worked in this building when it was Club Hot or Club Cold but ths is great. It is happening all over the country. People are moving downtown.. I am not talking close to but actually downtown. Fret not. They know what they are getting into. As for a higher use, the mix of low,mid and high rise make a city interesting.
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BuffaloBloviator
Everyone, thanks for your comments and kind wishes! The Wife and I are very appreciative. Your encouragement will help us as we continue our work on This Old House. Here’s hoping we can make this little piece of old Delaware Avenue an attractive and useful contribution to our new downtown.
Howard Goldman
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jimbo13kaz
i actually had the opportunity to go into this building when it was being renovated for one of the club phases and i couldn't believe the beauty and signifigance of it. im glad to see that it is being restored to what it should be i look forward to seeing it again in the future and hopefully it will still be there for my children to someday see.
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anthony
My grandfather and father owned 153 Delaware Ave in the late 1940's 1950's and 60's when it was the CHATEAU RESTAURANT and or CHATEAU LA MONTE. It was an extremley sucessful business very well known back then. It was my father who painted that menu sign on the side of the building saying Choice of 25 dinners. The menu and prices would blow you away. I have alot of paper work from back then. Still have some menus and all kinds of paper work and pictures of the inside and out. Even have oil paintings that were hanging up in the restaurant that are in my house today and that you can see in some of the interior pics of the place way back then. Pictures of the kitchen and dining room etc. My father told me alot of stories about that place and the city fathers. It was just cool coming across this site and seeing this. I kind of remember seeing this article in the news a while back. Mr. and Mrs. Goldman if your interested in maybe some pictures and alot of other things about the building just email me. Anthony La Monte (anthony_lamonte@hotmail.com)
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