Renewing The Century House
story by Barry A. Muskat
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The Junior League of Buffalo will unveil its thirteenth completed Decorators’ Show House at the end of April. This time their selected property is a grand “Century House” located at 100 Lincoln Parkway. It’s a Neo-Classical residence which celebrates its one hundredth birthday this year.
Like each of the properties selected since the League’s first Show House in 1981 (all of the Show House projects are done in collaboration with the Buffalo News), the home is in need of a good deal of tender loving care. It is structurally sound, and has the location, the size, and all the architectural elements of a mansion. But it is also dated, dark, and dingy. The TLC needed to return it to past glories and elegance is now being provided by an enthusiastic group of Buffalo’s decorators and designers.
The house was designed by Esenwein and Johnson, a Buffalo architectural firm in practice at the turn of the century. The firm’s other notable Buffalo buildings include the Temple of Music for the Pan American Exposition, the General Electric Tower (now known as the Niagara Mohawk Building), and the Museum of Science, along with a score of prestigious residences.
Originally built for Mr. and Mrs. Harlow C. Curtiss, vacant land for the home was purchased in September, 1904 with title held in the name of Ethel Mann Curtiss. (Mr. Curtiss was a successful Buffalo attorney who clerked in the law offices of future President of the United States Grover Cleveland.) The Curtiss family completed construction of their Lincoln Parkway residence in 1905.
Initially built as a single family home, the house was later converted into three apartments, each occupying a single floor. Those three apartments, along with the free-standing carriage house, offer the Junior League a unique opportunity to work on an elegant homestead. Yet, as a multi-family structure, it is a very different type of property than has been featured in the past.
Rachel Stenclik, Decorating Chair for this Junior League project, finds this house particularly exciting “because we have three 4,000-square-foot apartments and a 1700-square-foot carriage house.” Those logistics clearly afford some special opportunities to create a kind of Show House that has never been done before, along with four complete kitchen makeovers.
Stenclik says the best part of being Decorating Chair is “the opportunity to work with incredibly talented, dedicated, and fun people while transforming one of the beautiful turn-of-the-century Buffalo houses into a modern-day home.” “The decorators are the center of the show,” she continues, “and prove themselves to be devoted to creating masterpiece after masterpiece—they are just as excited as we are when the final results are in and we are able to donate a large grant to one of the many worthwhile charities in the Buffalo area.”
The first floor living room, a large gracious space with windows facing Lincoln Parkway, is being decorated by Joanne Stewart and Mike Michalski of Ethan Allen Home Interiors. Stewart views their plan for the room as being “about today’s family living with a century-old graciousness,” and Michalski sees “an end result of relaxed formality.” They strive for a room of “livable luxury, a space elegant enough for entertaining yet relaxed enough for everyday living,” and cite two beautiful mahogany display cabinets that flank the fireplace as a dramatic focal point. A topaz-based color scheme is planned.
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The first floor theme is Traditional, which Stenclik describes as continuing the beautiful designs that Western New Yorkers love. Certainly, the dining room by Kittinger will convey classic craftsmanship and beauty with timeless pieces of traditional American furniture. East Aurora’s Roycroft Campus Corporation will decorate the second floor dining room. Dedicated to saving the original buildings of Elbert Hubbard’s Arts and Crafts Community, the RCC recently announced purchase of the landmark building that once housed the Roycrofter’s blacksmith and copper shops.
Douglas Swift, RCC President, hopes that participation in this Show House will further community awareness of the RCC. The dark woods in the existing wainscoting of the Lincoln Parkway dining room offer an appropriate backdrop to the Roycroft wares. Swift explains that the room will contain “a mixture of old and new designs by Roycroft Artisans: a mix of antiques and contemporary pieces.”
In responding to the second floor’s Metropolitan theme, it appears that most of the designers will present spaces quite different from that of the first floor—more contemporary, clean, and citified, and maybe even a little “outside-the-box.” Décor of the front solarium and gallery is being planned by Suzanne Hofmeister and Mike Weber. They describe the treatment of their rooms as “juxtaposing the traditional architecture of the house with modernist furnishings and art—rooms which are clearly couture, and unfussy.” They see a design that “pays tribute to Buffalo’s serious commitment to both collecting and appreciating fine art.”
Hofmeister talks about “creating a relevance between two disparate rooms” and together they describe a space where artwork and music—not the furniture—are the focal point. They don’t think visitors should just see furniture as in a store display, but instead hope to “stretch the limits.” Weber cautions, “Our design may not be to the immediate liking of many who visit, but we intend to push the envelope by using art that will make one think.” Featuring artwork by prominent Western New York artists, they note, “With the wealth of art in this community, there is no excuse for using commercially-printed poster art in residential or commercial decoration.”
This particular choice of Show House offers the opportunity for four complete (and four different) kitchen redesigns. As a bonus, each of the kitchens in the main house is comprised of more than just one conventional room; each has an adjacent butler’s pantry or eating area which affords great space in which a designer can work.
The first-floor kitchen is being designed by Todd Lewis in conjunction with Kathy Fedak, and built by Ridgewood Cabinetry. Lewis points out that it’s unusual to design a kitchen without a typical list of requirements from the occupants/clients. Therefore, he has let the house influence the majority of the design decisions, “observing what was currently there, thinking about it historically, but not being afraid to bring
The second-floor kitchen is being designed by Roseanne Driscoll, who notes that “you can make a statement in design without necessarily going over the top.” She promises a kitchen with sleek lines and contemporary style, but is also elusive about revealing all of its details. The butler’s pantry will be outfitted with a bar sink of hammered steel, a wine cooler, and other amenities for entertaining. She promises color that will be bold but welcoming. In a room without solid walls, she is working with a local artist to create artwork as the window treatment. The window coverings will be art on canvas, thereby serving double duty.
Homeowner participation
The third-floor kitchen is most unusual. For the first time in the history of Junior League Show Homes, the resident is actually participating in the renovation process by designing a specific room. Homeowner Lori Leone is working with Vincent Jones (president of Buffalo Design and Construction) on the design of the third floor kitchen, the space she and her husband will occupy when the show closes, and says she is honored that the League is allowing her to participate. Jones is the general contractor coordinating construction of the entire Show House project.
The synergy seems great as Leone enthusiastically describes the space and design they’ve evolved. They’ve exposed a stone wall, which will be kept as an integral element and frames an opening to what will be the studio/laundry. The stone is the original unpolished—almost rubble—limestone in its natural state. Its deep charcoal colorations make it exceptionally beautiful and enhance the rustic Tuscan theme (the theme for the entire third floor). Cabinetry for this kitchen will be a subtly painted white wood. The dining table is actually being fabricated in Tuscany, and its square tabletop will be of hand-hewn walnut. An original industrial skylight has been exposed which will bring light into the room and backlight a new stained glass panel.
Designer and muralist David Butler of PRO-creation will transform the hallway (which connects the front of the house to that third-floor kitchen) with custom textured painting and murals. He plans a collage of ancient and old-world Italy. Known for his work as a scenic designer for many local professional theaters, Butler is excited to have the opportunity to transform the challenging space. “My years as a theater artist have allowed me to hone my skills in painted illusion and subtle drama,” he says. “I want this hallway to feel larger and to hold a feeling of history, quiet, and European charm.” He hopes to create a space “that beckons the visitor to not only pass through, but to stop and enjoy.”
A team of three (Mark Taylor of Mark Taylor Interiors, Thomas Mileham of Thomas Mileham Antiques, and Kristen Webb of Webb Trading Company) has been assembled to transform the carriage house. Although this structure is modest compared to the main house, the design of the carriage house has encouraged the design team to mix styles, rich color, and unique combinations of antique and modern furniture, each contributing an individual expertise. Conceivably usable as a three-bedroom space, they see it as being occupied by an urban couple. They’ll use one bedroom for its original function, create a dressing room (with California Closets) in another, and the third will become a card room/den. Their vision spans “pedigreed antiques and fabulous art, a place where one senses the owner’s love for his collection.” Webb sees this as “a unique opportunity to conquer an entire living space while avoiding being lost in the shuffle” and Taylor calls it “a collective effort and testament to the phrase that you’re only as good as the sum of your parts.”
General contractor Jones finds the project rewarding: “To work with the talent the Junior League has assembled to complete this project is phenomenal.” He describes the homeowners as “terrific—open-minded and full of progressive ideas of their own.”
The partnership between the homeowners and the Junior League seems fortuitous for all. The home-owners are supportive of the theme concept, and happy that the occupants of each floor will live in spaces that are thematically unified. The Leones hope it will be fun for the public to view how the occupants will live, and particularly confident that future tenants will enjoy beautiful kitchens. They conclude, “We are excited to help the Junior League get the results they need to raise funds for charity.”
The Junior League of Buffalo is involved in more than just the Decorators’ Show House. Their other fundraisers include a thrift shop operating since 1921, and an award-winning cookbook, Great Lake Effects: Buffalo Beyond Winter and Wings. Through these projects, the League offers grants to local nonprofits and awards annual scholarships to young women dedicated to volunteerism. They also contribute volunteers to the Food Bank of Western New York and other groups.
The completed Show House will kick off with a preview party on Friday, April 29th and will close on May 22.
Barry A. Muskat is the Architecture Critic for Buffalo Spree and is a Professor in the Department of Art History at Canisius College where he teaches Architectural History courses.
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