A wealthy Buffalo family built this Summer Street structure in the 1890's. In 1960, the structure was converted to office space after the family donated it to the American Red Cross. Much of the architectural integrity was compromised with the installation of wall-to-wall carpeting and hung ceilings as well as by the painting of the wood trim.

An attorney purchased the home in 1999 to house her small firm and other offices. Shortly after, we were retained to restore the building, room by room.

Over the course of 2 years, we removed carpeting, sanded and polyeurathaned the floors; removed hung ceilings, repairing or replacing the original plaster as needed; and painted or stripped walls and woodwork. One room had been lined entirely with new framing and paneling. After removal, a pair of nine-foot high pocket doors was discovered along with 3 windows that had been buried in 1960.

Upon completion of the interior, we cleaned and painted the exterior in fall 2001. It was obvious that no painting had taken place in the last 25 years. Powerwashing, scraping and priming was required on over 80 percent of the trim. An oil-based stain brought the shingles back to life.

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