Douglas Development representatives will be heading back to the Preservation Board today with its tail between its legs asking for forgiveness and approval for alterations it made to 204 High Street without Board approval.
The company started work to repurpose the historic Meidenbauer House that sits just east of the Medical Campus, changing roof pitches and adding floor height without obtaining Preservation Board authorization. The long-neglected structure is within a preservation district and will contain nine apartments when work is finished.
Proposed or Completed Work Above, Historic Structure Bottom
Proposed or Completed Work Above, Historic Structure Bottom
The scope of changes includes:
Center connector building has change in height and addition of (2) windows to accommodate apartments. The change in height clad in metal panel to differentiate new and existing construction.
The door that was removed on the West façade was bricked in with shadow line
Exhaust piping to exterior facades will be removed and rerouted to the roof or through exhaust vents along the facades. Any window with exhaust piping will be replaced with a louver in the existing opening. These openings occur at lowest level.
Existing windows will be replaced in kind (Aluminum-Clad Wood Windows) to match existing. Meeting rails are centered, and profile will be 4 over 4.
Stair railings will black painted metal to match existing conditions on the site and in the historic surroundings.
New doors will be wood doors with transoms above to match the existing conditions.
Dentil mouldings will be replaced in kind at roof eaves.
Roof Lines and roof pitches have been restored to as close to original as possible. Shed dormers have been incorporated (setback 4 feet in the front and rear) to add height on third floor but maintain original roof pitch.
At the South Elevation, the gable roof has been adjusted to fit within the new shed dormer and the window has been added back.
204 High Street is an Italianate circa-1870 brick building, one of the oldest in the Fruit Belt neighborhood. The property is listed as a City of Buffalo local landmark. The property was the personal residence and medical practice of John Meidenbauer. In the late 1930s it was sold to Lyle Morgan, another doctor, who also utilized it for his personal residence and practice. The building was last used in 1979 as a doctor’s office and the City took ownership around 2005 after Morgan’s son was unable to pay the taxes for the property. The City struggled to find a developer for the property until Douglas Jemal stepped up to save the building last year.
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