4/29/2007

Lost Density...

Wonder what life was like here in Buffalo when the neighborhoods were full of life...
IMG_6768[1]
Here's a short slide show with twevle in back in front houses. All of the examples that I saw yesterday were next to at least one, sometimes two, empty lots.

Would like to know if any fixBuffalo readers remember this sort of housing from "back in the day." Were these houses typically owned by the same family and/or rented to others?
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

often the back house is the older smaller building on the site. Usually the back house was in front but moved to the back to construct the newer bigger house.

My grand parents owned a front back house on the west side. It is a very interesting piece of Buffalonia from a time when land was in very high demand

Aaron said...

I know that in a lot of other place, these smaller homes were called "Granny Flats," and were built for relatives of the family, often who didn't want to move away from the family. Also called carriage houses:
http://www.newurbannews.com/accessory.html

The apartment I live in on Elmwood has a carriage house right behind it, and though you'd be surprised to find out, so do a lot of other place on Elmwood.

fixBuffalo said...

Steel and Aaron...

Thanks for reaching back in the time machine. Didn't know they were built first.

Here's the link from Aaron, right here...

Anonymous said...

The buildings you are showing should be differentiated form carriage houses. The owners of these houses most likely did not own carriages and there is no access to the back for them. Carriage houses are common in the areas of the city built for the wealthy but even there many houses had no provision for storage of a carriage. Many people who owned horses and carriages stored them at a nearby livery and would send for them when they needed them.

George Thomas Apfel said...

On Ellicott north of Best from 1941-57 my family owned two front and back houses, we lived above our dry cleaning business in front at 970 and rented out the rear. There was another pair next door at 974. Both front and rear houses were small with no basement and small attic.

Osmoes parking lot is there now.

fixBuffalo said...

George...

Any chance that you might have pix, from back in the day? Let me know...

George Thomas Apfel said...

David,
I do have some photos from back in the day, most have been scattered around the country with members of my family. Hopefully I will be able to round them up!

I still vividly remember the atmosphere of this neighborhood when I grew up here 1953-1957 with tree-canopied streets. And a real thrill for a four-year old, Osmoes had easy access for me to climb ladders and play on their roof!