49 Buffum - Restoration Underway

Saturday was a dreary day, so of course I decided to take pictures of the restoration project at 49 Buffum which was underway.  The main house, which is sandwiched in between two additions, is said to be the oldest existing such structure in South Buffalo.

It dates back to the 1850's, with first an addition built along Parkview, and then in the 1920's another addition (labeled 53) was added which brought it closer to Buffum. An original photo, along with one taken after a fire a few years ago are posted on Buffalo Rising. The older photo is also reproduced on the sign in front of the house.

People were busy replacing the roof when I was there, and earlier a bunch of enthusiastic teens were painting the fence.  Landscaping is also in the process of being added. More was in the Buffalo News yesterday.

I spoke with Harvey Garrett (walking down the stairs in the picture below) and he said that the cost to restore the house are comparable to tearing it down, but with the benefit of saving a bit of history and leaving a solid, usable structure in place. This should be done more often. Excellent!