Williams-Pratt House - Table of Contents
History
- Williams-Pratt House / LiRo Group
Building
690 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, N.Y.
(in Delaware Preservation
District)
OWNERS |
Charles Williams
Married Emma Alice Jewett, daughter of Sherman S. Jewett See also: Click
on photo for larger size. Source: "A History of the City of Buffalo,"
published by the The Buffalo Evening News, 1908 The Pratts Click on photos for larger size. Charles and Emma
Williams both died in 1909, at which time their daughter Jeannie Jewett
Williams (who married Frederick L. Pratt in the reception
room of the house in 1907) and her husband moved into the mansion.
Pratt, the eldest son of civic leader, banker and industrialist Pascal Paoli
Pratt, spent his time managing the
properties included in his inheritance. From this time until the
fateful stock market crash of 1929, the Pratts lavishly entertained
many distinguished guests and the reception room became known as the
City's "largest and one of the most elegant drawing rooms." One
especially noteworthy event was the 1926 Oriental Ball when the mansion
was transformed into a lush tropical garden. See also:
City of Buffalo The City of Buffalo
acquired the property for back taxes, bought it at public auction for
$22,419.54, and filed a deed stating such on December 29, 1938. The
building stood vacant for three years, during which time theft and
neglect caused damage to the elaborate plumbing and the electrical
fixtures (The house included an elevator and ultramodern heating
system). Veterans In 1940, the Common
Council voted to dedicate the mansion to the Veterans of the GAR and to
the Spanish War Vets for use as a meeting place and the storage for
records. The vets officially moved into the "GAR Memorial hall" April
15, 1941. At this time, $2,000 was allocated by the Common Council to
remodel and repair the building. Paul Snyder In 1978 Buffalo
businessman Paul Snyder bought the house from the city to house his
Snyder corporation, the Niagara Trading Corp. The Liro Group 2002 owner: The Liro Group |
COMPLETED |
1896 |
ARCHITECTS |
Stanford White Click on photo for larger size Stanford White (McKim, Mead and White), assisted by Edward York, later of York and Sawyer Stanford White portrait is on display in the house. |
STYLE |
Georgian Revival |
- The Liro Group, especially Marketing Director Julia L. Stearns
- Appleton Fryer
- Office staff at Forest Lawn Cemetery