Linwood Avenue Historic Plaque Project ............. Linwood Avenue - Table of Contents
Margaret Lautz Munschauer House - Table of Contents
Margaret Lautz Munschauer House
134 Linwood Avenue, Buffalo, NY
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Erected: |
1894 |
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Style: |
Queen Anne |
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Status: |
Linwood Historic Preservation District |
TEXT Beneath Illustrations
Historic photos
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2013 photos  Queen Anne style  Leaded, etched glass |
2005 photos  Corner Ionic column  Capital: Volutes ... Egg-and-dart molding ... Bead-and-reel molding. Fluted shaft   Fluted Doric pilaster ... Keystone  South elevation  Queen Anne ornate chimney |
The house was built in Queen Anne style in 1894 for Mrs. Margaret Lautz Munschauer, widow of George J. Munschauer, one of the founders of Niagara Machine & Tool Works, a company that was active from its founding in 1879 until the 1990s.
George Munschauer was also a partner of another company which he joined in 1868. It was founded in 1865 and manufactured ice boxes, bird cages, toilet ware and other goods. It originally was called Gessellgen, Heinz & Fisher. The firms name changed as partners came and left. In 1872 it was known as Heinz, Pierce and Munschauer when George N. Pierce became a partner. He left in 1878, moved down the street and made the same products, then bicycles and eventually the Pierce-Arrow car.
George's widow inherited the two businesses. Her two oldest sons ultimately ran Niagara Machine and Tool Works and her youngest son became president of Heinz & Munschauer that was making electric refrigerators when it went out of business in 1941.
Active in musical circles, Margaret died in 1932.
In 1937, the single family home was purchased by psychiatrist Dr. Norman F. Grazer, who converted it into an apartment on the second level and a suite of offices on the first level for his practice.
In 1976 the first level office space as renovated into an apartment.
