4/30/2007

Hamilton Ward House...again!

Remember the Hamilton Ward House? Last summer "friends of Coe Place" were swarming it, right here! You'll remember that the owner - Belmont Shelter, same folks who've been appointed property manager over at Artspace right next door - wanted to send it to a landfill and expand their parking lot.
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Had a call late night call from a Coe Place resident last week. He was concerned that demo-prep might be going on, again. I stopped by about 7am and called City Hall to see if the demo permit Belmont Shelter had applied for last year had been re-activated.

Learned that an architect had submitted plans on behalf of Belmont Shelter for interior and exterior renovations. As you can see the only demolition that took place was the pine tree, right infront of the house. I think the entire street scene has been improved.
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click image to enlarge
What a difference a year makes. And yes, the back door remains secure! Thank you again, Mike & Liz (Belmont peeps) for withdrawing the demolition permit and getting things done! Will be keeping track of the Ward House's transformation this summer...stay tuned.
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6 comments:

thestip said...

Great news!! Happy to see that hideous pine come down. It really hid the beauty of the house.

fixBuffalo said...

S,

Exactly. Stay tuned...

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure why, but I find this house very interesting. How much work do you think they are going to put into it?

fixBuffalo said...

eisenbart,

depending on the mix of money - it's my understanding that costs increase when public money is involved. Belmont uses tons of this money...

We had a few people go through the house last year and as I recall price was around 50-60K...this will double with public money, me thinks.

As soon as I connect with the architect, will have sketches available...

Anonymous said...

It is the hope of the neighborhood that this house is restored in kind, i.e. repair and paint the exterior instead of synthetic vinyl siding and keep the defining turret.

Mark Williams said...

eisenbert-

Admittedly, the Hamilton Ward House may not be the most architecturally significant house in Buffalo but it does fall into the category of manageable.

The square footage appears to be 1400-1800 sq ft as opposed to the normal Buffalo Victorians of 4000 sq ft.

As the owner of a relative small bungalow, I cannot help but gaze-up at the huge homes in Buffalo and wonder how the hell I would reach the top gables, turrets, etc if I needed to repaint, repair, etc because calling a contractor is not always an option.

In fact, I think the entire Coe Place neighborhood is ideal for both home-owner self-maintenance and people who hate to cut grass.

In a convoluted way; the first patio homes - - so eat your heart out Amherst!

Buffalo is first again!

Mark