Thanks to the generosity of Association members, friends and a Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus-sponsored Spark grant, the next phase of restoration of the Association headquarters at 61 College St. will take place this summer. Years of neglect and lack of maintenance have caused significant rot and other damage to the clapboard siding, eaves and other elements of the north side of the historic home. Phase II: Exterior Rehabilitation, part of a three-phase building restoration plan, will completely replace all of the decayed wood siding with new concrete Hardy-board. Not only will the new siding be resistant to decay, the pre-colored boards will not require painting for many years. Eaves, corner boards and foundation sill will be replaced as necessary.
In addition, the window to the first floor bathroom will be replaced with a new window sized to fit the original opening. Finally, the top half of the front (west) side of the house will be scraped, primed and painted to match the lower half that was painted in October 2016 with the help of volunteers from the University at Buffalo.
This work is made possible by the generosity of members who donated a total of $4,223 to the 2017 $61 for 61 capital campaign. These funds will be augmented with a $1,500 Spark Grant from the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus. The competitive grant awarded funds to support projects with direct benefit to the community. 61 College serves not only as the headquarters of the Allentown Association but as a community meeting space for Infringement Festival, First Fridays Gallery Walk, block clubs and other neighborhood groups. A generous allocation of $2,500 from Councilmember David Franczyk brings the total project funds to $8,223.
-reported by Jonathan White
