George F. Rand Sr. &
Jr. - Table of Contents
George F. Rand Sr.
& Jr. House /
Canisius
High School
1180
Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY
Canisius High School
since 1944
Built: |
1918-1923 |
Architects: |
Franklyn
J. and William A. Kidd Also by William A Kidd: Frederick J. Coe House, 331 Buffalo Avenue, Niagara Falls, NY |
Style: |
Jacobean Revival; Tudor Revival |
TEXT BELOW PHOTOS
Click on illustrations for larger size -- and additional information
Façade |
Georgian Revival entrance |
Chimney pots in groups of three |
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Chimney pots in groups of three |
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Pendant at top of vergeboard on gabled dormer |
Rounded pavilion on north side |
Rand Building on Lafayette Square |
George F. Rand was president and chairman of the board of directors of Marine Midland.
Rand was killed in a plane crash near Caterham in Surrey, England, before the house was completed. His wife died shortly after construction started in 1918.
George F. Rand, Jr. completed the home and in 1921 moved in with his brother, Calvin, and two sisters, Gretchen and Evelyn. They lived in the house for three years, and in 1925 it was sold to the Masons, who converted it into the Buffalo Consistory. The Masons expanded the dining room and added a swimming pool and auditorium, still used by students
The Masons sold the building to Canisius High School in 1944. Canisius, an independent college preparatory school established in 1870 by the Jesuit order, moved from Ellicott Street in downtown Buffalo to the Rand House.
Rand Building: The Rand Building on Lafayette Square was Buffalo's tallest building (29 floors) when it was opened in 1929. It was named in honor of George F. Rand, Sr., longtime president and chairman of the board of Marine Bank. It was largely his vision and efforts which led to New York State's first consolidated banking system called Marine Midland Corporation. (Marine takes its name from the fact that originally its main customers were largely from the grain and marine trade on the lakes and along the Buffalo River.)
Sources:
- David M. Rote, Rand Building (online 2003)
- Richard O. Reisem and Andy Olenick, Classic Buffalo: A Heritage of Distinguished Architecture
- "Canisius High School," in The Buffalo News, January 30, 1994