Along Riley Street...

This three bedroom single family home at 70 Riley Street is another 'demolition by neglect' candidate. Must be contagious as it's less than 100' away from St. Vincent's. Here's the map and proximity to Artspace.

The curved window frames are unique and always seem to appear in Buffalo homes that were built a few decades after the Civil War. 70 Riley won't last long much longer. Portions of the roof are missing and the soffit on the right side of the house has collapsed. When I took a closer look at 70 the other day it appears as though the right side of the house is bowing out where the water damage is also causing the clap to fail.

70 Riley Street is privately owned and sits alongside a few homes that are well maintained.

Less than a block away, 93 Riley is still owned by the City of Buffalo. I first wrote about it, here last January. And here, in February. Yesterday I noticed the Griffin sign was still up in front of 93.

The history of Riley Street is rather unique. Chris Hawley's Midtown: Poised For Renaissance includes the following about Riley Street:

The street is one of the oldest corridors in the Midtown district, laid out in 1859 in commemoration of the death six years prior of Major General Bennett Riley, a prominent Buffalo citizen whose ample frame house existed at Main and Barker streets. General Riley, an important figure under President James Polk during the Mexican War, was a native Virginian and a veteran of conflicts dating back to the War of 1812. His leadership in the Mexican War laid the foundation for America's acquisition of California, over which Riley was later military governor and was instrumental in its attaining statehood. In 1849 his retirement brought him to Buffalo, a place of which he was very fond, and died shortly thereafter in 1853, leaving behind a substantial collection of antiques. To this day, the Historical Society retains Riley's hat, epaulettes, and two gold-hilted presentation swords as memories of his late love affair with Buffalo.

In addition, Ft. Riley in Kansas is named after General Bennett Riley. It was the all-black 9th and 10th calvalry regiments, the so-called 'Buffalo Soldiers' that were stationed at Ft. Riley during much of the 19th and early 20th century.

btw...has anyone seen Byron signs like that around the City? Any Makowski signs still up?

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Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
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