Carlton Ladd House - Table of Contents ..... Christopher Brown - LINKS

History of the Carlton Ladd House
11 Plymouth Avenue, Buffalo NY

By Christopher Brown
Excerpts from the 11 Plymouth Avenue Landmark Nomination, written by Christopher Brown


Click on illustrations for larger size

Carlton Ladd

Watson Elevator

Builder Richard Caudell



Year Owner or Occupant State/Improvement
?-1794 Iroquois Confederacy Virgin Forest
1794-1833 State of New York Virgin Forest
1833-1859 Ebenezer Walden Readied for building
1859-1877 Charles Lamphier First house built on site
1877-1887 William Weston  
1887 Richard Caudell First house demolished, 4 houses built on site, including present 11 Plymouth
1887-1903 Carlton Ladd First resident of 11 Plymouth
1904 Frank M. Gregg and family House rented from 1903-1913
1909 Mrs. C.S. Teneyck Ran a boarding house from 11 Plymouth
1913-1941 Herman Lehman  

By the 1880s, street car lines opened in the neighborhood which allowed the area of Plymouth Ave./Hudson St. to be accessible by many more Buffalonians who earned their incomes on the waterfront a mile or so to the south.

Builder Richard Caudell purchased the Lamphier/Weston house and lot on the corner of Hudson and Plymouth in March 1887. In July 1887, Caudell probably deconstructed the original brick house, as was the custom of the day. He then built four homes in its place:

11 Plymouth Avenue is constructed of masonry and may have been built from bricks salvaged from the Lamphier/Weston home. While not an architectural innovator, Richard Caudell constructed handsome houses and by granting mortgages, provided a way for Buffalonians to buy a home in the days before 30-year mortgages. Caudell's homes contained identifiable signature architectural features such as stylized windows, paneled verge board and incised decorations.

Carlton Ladd: Carlton Ladd (born 3/1848 - died 1907) moved to Buffalo when he was a young man and worked in a grocery business with his older brother James S. (born 1835). Ladd was born in New York State, his father born in Vermont and mother in New York State.

Later, Carlton Ladd was a superintendent with the Watson Grain Elevator for many years. Ladd in his younger days was also a fireman, joining the Liberty Hose Company (a volunteer Buffalo fire company) about 1872. Ladd was a prominent Republican of the 21st Ward. Mayor Knight appointed him examiner of election inspectors and he was for many years a familiar figure in the civic history of Buffalo.

Ladd family: Carlton married Mary (Margerette) about 1880 and had 4 children but only Margaret (born September, 1898) survived. Mary was born in New York State in March, 1862 but came from Irish lineage as both her mother and father were born in Ireland.

Before they moved to 11 Plymouth Avenue in 1888, they lived at 295 Hudson Street at the southwest corner of Cottage Street; later they moved to West Ave.

The Ladd family lived at 11 Plymouth Avenue for about 15 years. Carlton Ladd passed away in 1907. After his death, it appears his widow, Mary, lived at 24 Plymouth Avenue.


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