Text reprinted from the State Register for Historic Properties Nomination
Original owners
The 1900 census, recorded eight years after the house’s construction, lists
Anna Eberz
as the head of the household that includes her seven children with ages
ranging from twelve to twenty-six. With the addition of a relative,
John Eberz, seven of the household members were born in Germany, which
is consistent with the ethnic settlement of Black Rock.
Throughout the records, the Eberz women are generally noted as
dressmakers and the men are listed as tin and metal workers. The house
stayed in the Eberz family until the 1960s, ultimately passing down two
Anna’s daughter, Margaret.
One of the more interesting facts to emerge researching the house was
the discovery that the Eberz family rented rooms out during the 1901
Pan American Exposition...
When the Exposition was announced in 1895, numerous boarding houses
sprung up across Buffalo landscape. There were so many of these
boarding houses constructed during the period, that today many local
historians recognize the ‘Pan-Am’ boarding house in Buffalo as its own
architectural category.
Even more frequent than the existence of these boarding houses, is the
commonly traded story ‘this house-or that house’ in Buffalo rented its
rooms to visitors during exposition.
Rarer yet is a true piece of ephemera that links a residence to this
event. A postcard from the exposition period showing the house and
address reads:
Pan-American Accommodations
Visitors will find pleasant rooms in the neatly furnished home.
Located in desirable residence district.
With everything necessary for comfort, including bathroom and veranda.
Fifteen minutes walk to Exposition.
Street car service to all point, including Exposition, Niagara Falls, Lockport, etc.
Rates for rooms $1.00 per day and upwards
Breakfast served at reasonable rates if desired.
To insure accommodations it is advisable to engage rooms in advance.
Take Niagara Street car to Hamilton.
House Description
The two and half-story wood clapboard residence sits upon a stone foundation, is roughly three
bays wide, and is topped with a
cross gable roof. The roof is asphalt and the front
pediment is closed, with a molded wood
tripartite window unit within.
The windows are one-over-one and retain their wood
sash. Above the windows at the peak is a decorated panel typical of the style. The areas below and surrounding the window are wood
shingle. This ensemble sits above decorative
rafters that delineate the floor levels.
The second floor is organized with a polygonal bay window to the right
and accompanied by a single window to the left, both of these units
being one-over-one and wood sash. Unlike the pediment windows, they are
set within simple wood surrounds, with no decorative motif. The porch
roof below rises to the sills of the second floor windows.
The home’s most distinguishing feature is its front porch. This full width porch features a
shed roof with
a closed pediment placed to the left over the front entrance, revealing
the home’s side-hall plan. This porch- pediment features
Queen Anne
style decorative motifs that echo those in the roof’s pediment. The
delicate porch supports feature thin square twin columns with
chamfered corners, with decorative carvings in the upper portion of the columns. Painted
fretwork spandrels adorn the porch in an arched display. The
balustrade is composed of turned spindles, and the exterior foundation of the porch is covered with
fishscale shingles.
Each of these well maintained decorative elements exemplifies style,
providing textured variations which are typical of the late-Queen Anne
period. Within the porch are two single one-over-one wood sash windows,
similar to those on the second floor. The front entrance is placed
asymmetrically to the left, with a simple wood surround and paneled
front door.
The
side elevations of 285
Dearborn Street are relatively simple compared to the facade, with
one-over-one wood sash windows placed throughout the first and second
floors, corresponding to the interior room arrangements. The only
noteworthy variation of the asymmetry of the secondary elevations is a
two-story tripartite bay on the south and north that are topped by a
peaked roofs with a closed
pediments.
These gable ends include a small set of paired windows. Additionally,
the south facing gable provides additional space towards the back of
the house, creating room for a rear stairwell. The facade is clearly
the showpiece of the residence and displays prominently in the
streetscape.