Landmarks and Historic
Districts in Buffalo - Table of Contents
Cobblestone Local Historic District
Buffalo, New York
Click on illustration for larger size
Street | Address - Even | Address - Odd |
Baltimore Street | ROW | --- |
Columbia Street | ROW | --- |
Illinois Street | ROW | 45-55 |
Mississippi Street | ROW, 26 | --- |
Perry Street | ROW | 79-93 |
South Park Avenue | 110-130 | ---- |
Ohio Street | --- | 155 |
Landmark: The Edward M. Cotter Fireboat and Slip at Ohio Street, west of Michigan Avenue, is also included within this Local Preservation District and has been Listed on the National Register of Historic Places Data Base, listed June 28,1996. A Designated Local Preservation District, approved July 12,1994, Common Council Proceedings Item No.178.
All exterior construction, reconstruction, demolition, or redevelopment work to be performed on any structure or site within the Cobblestone Historic Preservation District must be undertaken in conformance with the Preservation Standards and Project Review Procedures, as defined in Chapter 337 of the Charter and Ordinance of the City of Buffalo, New York, as administered by the City of Buffalo Preservation Board
The Certified Local Cobblestone Historic District is located in the southern edge of the Central Business District along the Buffalo River. The historic district contains eleven buildings (10 contributing buildings and one non-contributing building) concentrated on the block bound by Perry, Illinois and Mississippi streets and South Park Avenue. Within this block is a collection of the last surviving waterfront industrial and commercial district with buildings illustrating construction techniques and architectural styles from the mid-nineteenth century through the early twentieth century. The buildings in the district are historically associated with Buffalo’s commercial and industrial heritage. Other similar industrial buildings from this period in the vicinity, in an area that was historically the city’s oldest commercial and industrial center, have been demolished.
Two of the most significant buildings in the Cobblestone Historic District are located at 110 and 118 South Park Avenue; both were previously determined eligible for listing in the NRHP. The George Mugridge & Son Steam Bakery/Phoenix Die Casting building at 110 South Park Avenue is a rare example of an extant pre-Civil War era commercial building adapted for manufacturing during the early twentieth century. The adjacent A. H. Brown’s brass foundry at 118-120 South Park Avenue is significant for its association with Brown who was important in antebellum Great Lakes commerce.
The name of the historic district stems from the sandstone pavers or “cobblestone” lining the district’s north-south streets that were re-laid prior to the establishment of the historic district.
The boundaries of the Cobblestone Historic District extend to the southeast to include Fire Station Changes to the historic district include reinvestment and development of buildings in the Buffalo Fire Department Engine No. 20 at 13 Buffalo River. Constructed in 1955, the fireboat house was designed by local architectural firm Duane Lyman & Associates.
Changes to the Cobblestone Historic District include renovation of 95 Perry Street and 26 Mississippi Street. In 2006, a new commercial building was constructed at Mississippi Street. The district has recently become a destination for entertainment and restaurants. No development has occurred on the other two blocks to the east, which are used as parking lots.
- 2013 Preservation Ready Survey of Buildings Downtown, Northland and Fougeron/Urban Survey Areas, Section 4, p. 21 (online June 2016)
Buffalo Historic Districts, in general:
- Local Historic Districts - Table of Contents
- State and National Historic Districts - Table of Contents
- List of Addresses in the City of Buffalo Local Historic Districts
- Jeffrey Chou, MAP - Local Preservation Districts
- Historic Districts in Buffalo, NY - With Links to Buffalo as an Architectural Museum
- City of Buffalo Preservation Board
Sources:
- City of Buffalo Preservation Board
- "Designated Landmarks of the Niagara Frontier," by Austin M. Fox. Buffalo: Meyer Enterprises, P.O. Box 733, Ellicott Station, Buffalo, New York 14205. 1986. Out of print.