The delightful symplicity [sic] of the Old Mission architecture has been maintained in the planning
of the building, a spacious, rambling bungalow. The first impression that the motorist
receives as he turns into the grounds is of the broad eaves, roomy verandas with their
easy wicker chairs, inviting nooks and restful corners, all soliciting investigation. The soft
gray stucco walls against the dark-green of the trees are in such perfect harmony
with the environment as to seem a part of it. The Buffalo Motorist, April 1911 |
The Automobile Club’s country home reflects a period when self-propelled vehicles were
largely playthings of the wealthy. The clubhouse was 17 miles from the city, then a
considerable distance, making it accessible only by automobile.
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The dramatic two-story main room featured exposed structural supports and a clock on the stairway landing made by club
member
Charles Rohlfs. The Town of Clarence now owns the clubhouse.
The [main] room is finished in weathered oak – unpolished – and showing its natural, beautiful grain.
Vaulted ceilings
give an historic touch
to the apartment, one of medieval romance, recalling ancestral halls
of the old barons who gathered their friends together and made merry over the flowing bowl of mead.
The austerity of the Old Mission style is softened in this beautiful room in the country home by the dark,
rich draperies that fall in rich folds from archways, windows and entries. The Buffalo Motorist, April 1911
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Statler’s home was a large Arts and Crafts design that incorporated Art Nouveau details.
Although from Soldiers Place the lot appeared to be a standard size, there were
extensive
grounds along Bird and Windsor Avenues, surrounded by an Art Nouveau fence.
All the
structures featured a rolled-edge roof, intended to evoke a thatched roof. The complex
was demolished in 1938 due to high property taxes. After World War II, three small houses
were built on the property. |
Continue Residential Expressions II 
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