Buffalo Rising Online

Dec 20th 2005, 12:27am By STEEL

Have you ever wondered about the people who have lived out their lives in the buildings we use today? How many happy holiday celebrations, how many varied Christmas trees have occupied that bay window and even how many tragedies have been suffered within those walls. Past generations are part of the life of a building. Each year and each generation adds new layers of meaning to a structure. They give life to the inanimate. As beautiful as a building may be when new, it does not attain its true beauty until its walls have absorbed the lives of the many people that have shared its spaces. It is an illusive beauty that is not seen but, must be felt. Most of those past generations are no more special than any other. Some others may be truly historic and significant. They all share the sad reality along with our selves that time moves on and lives are forgotten, days lost. The building is the only connection we have to our families of the past. When a building is neglected and abandoned those forgotten lives become so much more poignant.

The building pictured here, 156 park Street in Allentown, not only exhibits a unique architectural presence but, also was the residence of a unique couple. The house, built in a distinctive and quirky Craftsman style, is often called the Rohlfs House. It was Home to Charles Rohlfs and his wife Anna Katharine Green. They where a quite unique couple for their day. Anna Katherine was a very famous novelist and was credited with inventing the detective novel. Charles Rohlfs was a well known craftsman style furniture maker. His furniture is highly prized today and sells for big money. The house was designed by Charles and Katherine with many Rohlfs craftsman details throughout. It is interesting that Allentown should attract this artistic couple so many years ago just as it attracts the creative people of our generation. If you would like to find out more about Anna, Charles, and this house try to get a copy of the Fall 2004 Western New York Heritage magazine. If you imagine the events, discussions, and, people that have passed through this house you know it is much more than the brick and wood that hold up its roof. If only its walls could talk. Perhaps they can if we learn how to listen.

Western New York Heritage magazine also has a great WNY web site here http://wnyheritagepress.org/.