Speculative Home for E. B. Smith

In 1886, real estate developer, Edward B. Smith completed at least two homes on the same stretch of Linwood Avenue in Buffalo.  I previously blogged about one of them.  This one stands two doors south of that one and a portion of it can be seen depicted in the published rendering of that home.  

The plans for this home are similar and the styling, a mixture of Queen Anne and Shingle Style elements are also the same.  The detailing on this home is more complex than its neighbor.  

The home has been significantly altered though.  Evidence suggests that Silsbee's successor firm, Silsbee & Marling may have overseen construction of the stable and additions to the south and west of the home.  An examination of a photograph of the home from the 1890's depicts other changes: the removal of a recessed porch at the second floor, an arched window at the ground floor, and an elaborately carved pediment over the entry.  The overall composition of the facade is organized under a large single gable with compound gables and the pediment organized beneath it.  Open spindle work at the second floor balcony is shaped above a flat arch and related to the brick arched window on the first floor. 

Yet another image of the home, just after construction, can be found here.  In this photo by C. D. Arnold, the depiction of lush plantings within the recessed areas of the home is evident.  The neighboring home, by Silsbee, is also shown in that photo and the integration of planters was given much thought in the composition of that home as well. 

As stated earlier, these shingle style homes in Buffalo are the best surviving examples of the kinds of homes that famous architects George Maher and Frank Lloyd Wright would have drawn while working in Silsbee's Chicago office.  

Frederick Rueckheim Residence

With three different offices, Silsbee could do work in a large geographic area and for a great array of clientele.  Given that he worked at a time of great American prosperity and industrial growth, many of his projects seem to have more value for their historical context then for their design merits.

As a sign that his small candy and popcorn business was becoming a success, entrepreneur and inventor Frederick Fueckheim commissioned Silsbee to design him a home in 1886.  Several years later, Rueckheim and his brother, Louis, introduced Cracker Jacks at Chicago's World's Columbian Exposition.

Rueckheim's home still stands and though it is very modest, it is evident that it is a shadow of its former self.  The outline of a large cornice that was removed can be seen just below the roof.  The shingle cladding in the gables and the cladding of the prominent front bay are both modern and likely lacking the detail that the original home would have had.  Finally, the entry and porch have been altered.  Regardless of its current condition, it stands as a reminder of an inventor that had a huge impact on American food and marketing.   

Speculative Home for Edward B. Smith

In 1886, real estate developer, Edward B. Smith commissioned Silsbee's Buffalo firm, Silsbee & Marling, to design at least two homes for sale on Linwood Avenue.  This is one of them.  For the next several years, Silsbee and his successor firm, Marling & Burdette continued work on the street for Smith as well as other individual clients.  As it exists today, the street is a very fine collection of mid 1880's Shingle Style homes, epitomizing the style that Silsbee is commonly associated with. 

The Mrs. Dr. Hoxsie Residence

Silsbee & Marling, Joseph Silsbee's firm in Buffalo, New York, was responsible for the design of this speculative home in 1886.  It is a modest structure and features an S-curved roof over the front bay.  This feature is a common motif used in many of Silsbee's buildings of the period.  It sits in a neighborhood that was on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2008 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places®.

The William Bull Residence

Frank Lloyd Wright's own words about Silsbee's work, "...a picturesque combination of gable, turret, and hip with broad porches quietly domestic and gracefully picturesque", seem to have been written with this home specifically in mind.  

The William Bull Residence exemplifies Silsbee's Shingle Style work of the 1880's.  It was constructed in 1886 and is one of several works by Silsbee surviving in Quincy, Illinois.