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Restoring Allentown, from the inside out

In 1758, during the reign of Louis XV, French explorers established the first European settlement near what is now downtown Buffalo. Today, French culture in Buffalo seems to consist of the Alliance Francaise and a good crème brulee, unless, of course, you consider the mansard roof. With its name derived from 17th century French architect Francois Mansart, the mansard roof—a telltale feature of Second Empire (Napoleon III) style architecture—can be seen on countless grand mansions and smaller houses in Buffalo’s older neighborhoods.

One such house, recently restored by Benjamin Roberts, a public relations executive with e3communications, is situated on the edge of Allentown—the land of doglegs where the seemingly skewed grid of the West Village Historic District meets the rest of Buffalo. The house, despite its lovely bones, had been vacant for several years after a previous owner abandoned a restoration attempt and placed it back on the market. That owner had stripped the interior down to the studs, leaving Roberts to buy a circa 1875 mansard-roofed Italianate that was essentially an empty canvas, something he considered both a creative and financial advantage.  

“It’s a lot cheaper to do an interior restoration when you have no walls than to take down walls and put new ones up,” says Roberts. “It’s also easier to install the electricity. This is like a new building created in an existing brick shell.”

Entering through the front door, the first thing the eye beholds

(left) The lower arched windows and front doors provide a pleasing balance to the soaring mansard roof and pedimented dormers. (right) A kitchen without walls provides plenty of working surfaces within an accessible, compact area.

is the glistening restored curving oak staircase and banister ascending to the second floor. Along with the living room fireplace and window moldings, it’s the only other original interior feature of the house. Upstairs, two bedrooms at opposite ends of the house are divided by a spacious office and two bathrooms, master and guest. The front bedroom is aglow with light from two large windows overlooking the tree-lined residential street. In the rear of the house, the view from the master bedroom includes a fine mature maple tree, the back yard patio, and the tops of downtown office buildings rising like the Rockies in the distance. The new walls throughout the house are subtle shades of gray, blue, and brown highlighted by brilliant white woodwork, molding, and windows. 

To create the design for the new interior, Roberts sought the expertise of a respected member of the family—Brian Brady, a principal at Wendel Duchscherer Architects. Brady, a former chairman of the Buffalo Preservation Board who has bought and restored old houses himself, took one look at the house and was happy to lend a hand. 

“Older houses, and that one in particular, have features that you can’t buy,” says Brady. “You can’t easily create charm, especially where there is none. So when I looked at that house, the exterior walls—in terms of the arched windows and fenestration—were fabulous. The inside, because it had been gutted, gave Ben a lot of freedom. The more that remains of the inside, the tougher to imagine what it could become. But with a blank slate like that, it can be absolutely anything.”

A back-of-the-house addition likely built by the 1920s posed a

There is a half bath on the first floor and guest and master bathrooms upstairs. The master bath (right) incorporates unusual angles to striking effect.

challenge in getting the ground floor plan together. The kitchen was drawn several times in various locations until it was at last whisked from its traditional role in the rear of the house and brilliantly situated in the middle of the first floor, adjacent to the dining alcove and perfectly accessible to the rear living area. The result is an uncompromised openness consistent with living and entertaining in the twenty-first century. Roberts’choice of furnishings, cabinetry, and collection of posters perfectly complement the design.  

“My view of residential property is that you have to draw the plan four or five or ten or twelve times to get whatever that owner needs to work for him,” says Brady. “It’s a lot easier to draw it than it is to build it and then decide you’ve got a wall in the wrong spot. It was pretty clear that the front hall absolutely had to stay. The living room had to stay; it was pristine and it had that fireplace. So we had a chunk of space that was wide open but you had to fit things in it that all worked together. I think we had six or eight different plans, each one different. You just have to keep drawing until the plan gives you the most house for the investment.” 

One of the early challenges in the interior construction was to straighten out the kinks in the house from over a century of sagging, settling, and shifting. Lamparelli Construction Company, the project contractor, began by leveling and jacking up the floors and matching up studs to assure the new walls would be straight. After laying down a new plywood subfloor, dramatic dark bamboo flooring was installed throughout the house. Interestingly, Second Empire furniture makers were fond of dark woods and faux bamboo was a particular favorite. Roberts, however, chose bamboo for its green, sustainable benefits: a hardwood tree may take 100 years to grow to maturity, while a bamboo tree matures in three to five. He also installed energy-efficient appliances, a high-tech, direct vent furnace, and a tankless water heater. 

Outside, a new roof with an architectural shingle strives to match the look of the original mansard and a new entrance walkway and back patio feature exposed aggregate concrete to reflect the historic character of the neighborhood. Years of paint were removed to repair and refurbish downstairs windows, while upstairs windows were replaced. Exterior trim is now painted in stunning accents of red and black that showcase the house’s charm while keeping it perfectly appropriate to the neighborhood.  

“I feel like the steward of this house,” says Roberts. “I wanted to do everything possible to bring it back to life. I knew I’d never replicate it to as grand as it was with all the moldings and medallions. I’m sure the original detailing was breathtaking. But we won an award from the Allentown Association and were nominated for a Buffalo Preservation Award. It feels great to restore this home and give back to the city I love.” 

Seems like reason enough to pop the cork on a bottle of Veuve Clicquot. Surely Monsieur Mansart would approve.

Philip Nyhuis is a freelance writer living in the West Village.