A Dollar and a Dream Home
It turns out that the three architecture students all have their own unique abilities to contribute to the rebirth of the structure. A couple of them have had a lot of experience with construction and have even worked on a house in similar condition. The plans for this house are to restore the façade to how it once looked, while altering the interior to suit their needs. The plan is to have a one-bedroom apartment on the first floor with a family unit that will most likely occupy all three floors. “When we went to housing court,” they told me. “The building inspector wanted to make sure that we were not planning on removing the façade in order to make it spin [laughing]. We promised that there would be no spinning facades (see background story here). It was Judge Nowak who gave us the thumbs up. We’re planning on living here for quite a while… which means that we’re in no rush – we want to make sure that things are done right.”
This is a win-win scenario for Buffalo. Not only do we get a house fixed up, we also retain three UB grads who will all become major proponents of Niagara Street’s issues and concerns. Let's hope that Harvey has a few more dollar houses to announce in the near future.
Photo: Left to right along with hometown - Joseph DiPerna (Finger Lakes near Ithaca), A.J.Hibsch (Strykersville), Daniel Jeffrey (Lower Hudson Valley)
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Comment Options
AvaRouge
Sometimes it takes out-of-towners to think outside the box and take on the 'are you crazy' projects. Thanks guys for leaping in!
BTW- Is Daniel single?
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onestarmartin
Maybe the city should start handing out houses a graduation gifts.
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onestarmartin
Maybe the city should start handing out houses as graduation gifts.
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BuffaloRitz
Wow. Thats great! Good luck to them. Now lets give a block in the city to UB and have Architecture and Urban Planning student build it up as case-study. That would be a win win for the city and the school.
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stephenjames716
awesome!....but I hope they don't plan on turning it into a bed a breakfast ;)
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LivingForge
I bet between those three architecture degrees that they'll be able to create an innovative end around that brick wall blocking one side of the building, a way to get light inside, for example.
Keep us posted!
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kahawa
Oooo... three cute guys, one cute house!
I see reality TV show written all over this.
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Joshua
All I have to say is...good luck with this major project. If everything goes as planned it should be a very nice looking house.
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joeycanoli
joe d is a sick hockey player. used to scrap it up on tennis courts in the cuse.
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scooter
"Maybe the city should start handing out houses a graduation gifts."
onestarmartin.....thats an awesome idea. that just might work.
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cyndrome
Perhaps all incoming UB architecture students should be given the option of free housing such as this, with the ensuing renovation work being incorporated into academic credit. While UB's architecture program has had similar projects (like the spinning - front house on Putnam) I am not aware of any other live/work situations. Think of all the pluses: 1. Student's get free housing. 2. Hand's on experience, academic credit. 3. UB's architectural program will have a unique offering (unless other universities are already offering similar programs?) 4. City will benefit with restored housing.
Go Harvey.
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Kernwatch3
This is indeed a postive use of architecture students & their willingness to experiment with new approaches to housing rehab & neighborhood stabilization.
Hopefully the School of Architecture (& Urban Planning?) can endorse such "independent study" projects for motivated students, while building in necessary supports.
For example, WSNHS (Neigh Hous Service) has an administrative budget of about $500K annually & access to rehab loans, but has been incredibly unproductive as WS neighborhoods have fallen ever deeper into crisis. For example, over the past year WSNHS has "acquisition-rehabbed" merely one house (on 19th) while losing 3 (on Massachusetts-Shields, Prospect-School, & 16th) in foreclosure or demolition. Meanwhile it is unknown whether WSNHS has any current plans at all.
Could UB & WSNHS negotiate access to rehab loans for students doing such projects?
It would also be essential to build in an evaluation tool to learn from successes & failures of student projects. For example, it is unclear how cost-effective the highly unorthodox rehab by students of the "rotating facade" house at 15 S Putnam turned out to be. It had to be pulled fom the city tax foreclosure list last fall & apparnently remains vacant & "stuck", the single-parent suburban owner perhaps lacking funds to adapt an exotic house to practical use.
R. Kern
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Dakovich
hey guys, if yer in the mood for a good italian home-cooked meal my father-in-law is right around the corner on West. He's a riot, completely crazy, but funny at the same time. oh, and he makes killer lasagne and pickled eggplant.
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tommyBluez
Congratulations to all three of you guys!!!! And good luck with your once and soon-to-be again fabulous home!
Hopefully there's more of these around down the road when I am a little more able to fix up my own place and am in school for Architecture. (unless I decide on Culinary lol)
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dixiechick
I'm so happy to see this story and house have a happy ending! After so many of the negative posts on the original story about how it 'couldn't be done', I'm glad these guys weren't frightened away, but took the challenge and saw it as an opportunity. We need more forward thinking folks like this in Buffalo!
Thanks Joseph, A.J. and Daniel for choosing to stay in Buffalo, and lend your talents to rebuilding (literally) our city, one house at at time!
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MiesvanderDoh
ah, i took a built works class with 2 of you guys. glad to hear you're doing your thing. I walk tomorrow (saturday) and I'm hoping to pick up a house in similar condition on w. delavan in the near future. good luck -Andre
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buffgayguy
And the cash flow to do this project comes from where? good luck fella's, you'll need it
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Sal
Remember to challenge the tax assessment in December. 1273 Niagara is currently valued as a 4 unit, 3400' two- story apartment building at $50,000.
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RisingDamp666
"This Old House" meets..."Entourage"?
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