Sweeney Estate - Reconaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources of City of North Tonawanda (kta preservation, 2019).pdf

Sweeney Estate - Reconaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources of City of North Tonawanda (kta preservation, 2019).pdf

A very readable overview of the area's early development from 1600, with special emphasis on early village luminaries in general and the Sweeney family in particular. The urban development of their land, and its use as Pine Woods Park is detailed.


HISTORIC OVERVIEW
LOCATION
The survey area lies in the south portion of the City of North Tonawanda in Niagara County,
New York. It is bordered by the New York State Barge Canal Historic District to the south,
the Niagara River a few blocks to the west, and other residential and commercial areas of
5 Architectural fabric considers stylistic trends, materiality and construction technology.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
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North Tonawanda to the north and east. The total area surveyed of the Sweeney Estate is
approximately 307.59 acres.
HISTORIC TRENDS AND THEMES
This section of the report includes a general history of the area as well as a description of
the development of the project area documented by historic maps. Archeologists and
historians generally accept 1600 CE as the beginning of the Historic period in northeastern
North America.6 Iroquoian-speaking Wenro, Neuter, and Erie nations occupied western
New York at that time.7 In the 17th century European missionaries, traders, and soldiers
arrived in the Great Lakes region. Widespread epidemics and wars followed the
introduction of European diseases and the fur trade.
Early History
The present-day city of North Tonawanda, whose name derived from a Seneca word which
translates to ‘swift water,’ was the site of several Indian settlements by 1687. Missionaries
and traders were the first Europeans to visit the Niagara Frontier. French and English fur
trades competed with one another in the business of trading fur with Native Americans.
The various tribes trapped and traded beaver in exchange for guns and iron kettles. The
desire to trade with the Europeans in order to acquire weapons and other goods resulted in
the beaver almost being hunted to extinction in these territories. In addition to “modern”
material goods, the Europeans also brought disease and, as a result, the Iroquois
Confederacy, a defense league of nations whose combined territory in the early part of the
17th century stretched from the Mohawk River Valley west through the Finger Lakes to the
Genesee River in central New York, saw its population diminish. “The Iroquois desired
beaver and the hunting lands that yielded them, and they wanted captives to replace their
dead, or to atone at the torture stake for their loss. The coupling of the demands of the fur
trade with Iroquois cultural imperatives for prisoners and victims created an engine of
destruction that broke up the region’s peoples.”8 With guns and powder supplied by the
Europeans, the Senecas, westernmost nation of the Iroquois Confederacy, attacked and
defeated or drove into exile most of the people in western New York, western
Pennsylvania, and the Ohio River Valley. By the middle of the 17th century, the Erie, Wenro,
and Neuter nations no longer existed as cohesive units; members were killed, dispersed, or
adopted by the invading Seneca.9 Western New York became the fur-trapping and winter
hunting grounds of the conquerors until the end of the 18th Century.
6 Richard White, The Middle Ground: Indians, Empires, and Republics in the Great Lakes Region, 1650-1815
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1991), 19.
7 White, 23.
8 White, 1.
9 White, 1.
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The French and English battled for sovereignty over lands of the Iroquois (Smith 1884 Vol.
I38-40). The Treaty of Ryswick in 1696 settled some of the territorial disputes between the
French and English. The French eventually became the dominant European power in the
Niagara Frontier and established better relationships with the Indians than did the English.
During the French and Indian War (1754-1763), the Senecas sided with the French. 10 The
British were granted a 4-mile-wide strip of land along the eastern shore of the Niagara
River from Lake Ontario to Fort Schlosser as a portage route around the falls in the 1764
treaty that officially ended the hostilities between the Seneca and British. The British had
gained political and military power in the region by this time.
The Iroquois generally sided with the English in the struggle for domination of the fur trade
in the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of the Confederacy swore allegiance to the British
during the American Revolutionary War. Their involvement in several notorious massacres
on the frontier resulted in the Sullivan Campaign of 1779. Dozens of Seneca settlements
were burned. Many Senecas fled west, to the Buffalo area, Fort Niagara, and Canada while
others made their way south along the Allegheny River.11 The 1783 Treaty of Paris ended
the war between Britain and America, however it did not make provisions for the Indians.
The land of present-day North Tonawanda was granted to the Seneca by treaty following
General Sullivan’s 1779 destruction of Indian villages throughout western New York.
The Seneca nation made peace with the new United States of America in 1784, when they
signed the Treaty of Fort Stanwix.12 New York and Massachusetts settled their claims to
preemption rights in western New York, with New York gaining legal jurisdiction and
Massachusetts gaining the right to purchase from the Senecas. Massachusetts sold that
right to Phelps & Gorham. The two speculators went bankrupt and sold the right back to
Massachusetts; who in turn sold them to Robert Morris, who would lose all of his money in
land speculation. Morris sold to the Holland Land Company, organized by Dutch bankers in
1797, just before he went off to debtor’s prison.13
The Seneca gave up title to most of Western New York at the signing of the Big Tree Treaty
in 1797. The Indian population retained 11 reservations as a result of the 1797 Phelps and
Gorham Purchase, including the Tuscarora reservation three miles east of Lewiston and the
Tonawanda reservation, part of which formed the extreme southeast corner of Niagara
County.Joseph Ellicott, an agent for the Dutch bankers, began surveying the area in the
10 Robert Bingham, Cradle of the Queen City: A History of Buffalo to the Incorporation of the City (Buffalo:
Buffalo Historical Society, 1931), 36- 40.
11 Charles Congdon, The Historic Annals of Southwestern New York, v. 2 (New York: Lewis Historical
Publishing Co., 1940), 622-623.
12 Wilma Laux, “The Village of Buffalo, 1800-1832,” Adventures in Western New York History; v. 3 (Buffalo:
Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 1969), 3.
13 Bingham, 145.
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same year. The Dutch company developed its holdings, planned town sites, and sold the
lands on liberal terms directly to settlers. The Seneca who lived in the area did not like
Ellicott and called him Skin-in-do-shah, Mosquito, because they said he was always buzzing
in their ears for more land.
Legislation passed in 1802 gave New York State possession of a mile-wide strip of land
along the Niagara River. The strip was surveyed in 1803 and 1804. Niagara was
established as a county, which originally included the present Erie County, in 1808. In
1821, Erie County became a separate entity and Niagara County as it is now known was
distinguished from its southern neighbor. Niagara County included all lands north of
Tonawanda Creek, including what later became North Tonawanda. The county seat was
first located in the Village of Lewiston, but many new buildings needed to be constructed in
order to create this newly independent county. At the time, roads were little more than
wide paths cut through wooded areas, supporting only foot, horse and small carriage
traffic. These roads tended to follow the higher ground in order to be self-draining,
resulting in winding paths.14
The Holland Land Company realized that the key to increased land sales and settlement
was construction and improvement of the primitive transportation system that existed in
western New York at the end of the 18th century. Many early settlers in western New York
were farmers who had trouble making their mortgage payments, often because of the high
cost of transporting their goods to distant markets on roads in typically very poor
condition. Joseph Ellicott allowed farmers to work off a portion of their debts by
maintaining and improving the roads that were so critical to development.15
Some of the earliest recognized roads in Niagara County were laid out to follow earlier
Indian paths. Ridge Road was one of the earlier Indian roads, which some new settlers
stumbled upon while hunting cattle in 1805. In 1808, surveyors General Rhea, Elias
Ransom and Charles Harford laid out the road along this path that was soon known as
Ridge Road. By the early 1810s, “by the Ridge Road most of the pioneers entered the
county, and along or near it they first settled.”16 The area around present day North
Tonawanda was still relatively wild at this point, filled with forests that would soon prove
profitable for early settlers engaged in the lumber industry.
North Tonawanda in the Nineteenth Century
14 Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, “History of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office,”
http://www.niagarasheriff.com/early-history.html
15 White, 366.
16 “History of Niagara,” Accessed via
https://archive.org/stream/cu31924100387392/cu31924100387392_djvu.txt
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The first American settlement of North Tonawanda took place in the early nineteenth
century, when the abundance of forested land was slash-burned and cleared for farming.
Agriculture was an important occupation in the district throughout the 1800s. General
farming, including the raising of oats and wheat, fruit, and dairying, were practiced.17 The
earliest recorded citizen was George M. Burger, who is said to have constructed a log
tavern along the Niagara River in 1809. In 1810, he was followed by Joshua Pettit, who also
built a tavern. The arrival of the War of 1812 and the subsequent annihilation of Lewiston
and Youngstown, extinguished the gradual settlement that had been occurring in North
Tonawanda prior to this time.
After the War of 1812, the area that was to eventually become the “twin cities” of North
Tonawanda and Tonawanda did not see much development prior to the arrival of the Erie
Canal. Up until 1821, only about half of the Holland Purchase in this area had been sold.18
In 1823, Judge Samuel Wilkinson and Dr. Ebenezer Johnson constructed a dam across
Tonawanda Creek to facilitate canal traffic. The dam was essential to keep the canal waters
at the same level as Lake Erie, as it was determined that the city of Buffalo to the south
would be the canal terminus. Wilkinson and Johnson were also hired to construct ¾ of a
mile of the nascent canal. A toll bridge was erected, and on the south side of the canal, a
store was constructed.
With the digging of the Erie Canal, the population steadily increased and North Tonwanda,
with its sister city Tonawanda, located near the canal, became one of the largest lumber
ports in the country. Upon the completion of the canal, the area was described in 1824 as
“at the confluence of the Niagara and Tonawanda rivers, where the Erie Canal from Buffalo
enters the Tonawanda, and where boats pass from the canal into the Niagara River by a
lock,” was considered, “a safe and spacious harbor, as well for canal boats as for vessels
navigating Lake Erie.”19 A dam across the Tonawanda River raised its level to that of Lake
Erie and supplied water for mills. George Goundry, James Sweeney and John Sweeney
advertised in 1824 the advantageous position of the village to settlers who were interested
in purchasing building lots for trade, market and manufactures. All this activity began to
spur interest in the Tonawandas, and a small village of shanties appeared rapidly, mostly
along the south side of Tonawanda Creek.
The north side of the canal did not garner as much initial interest apparently, although its
potential was recognized. In 1824, the lands to the north of the canal and Tonawanda Creek
were purchased by James Sweeney, John Sweeney, and George Goundry, purchasing
17 White, 494.
18 History of Niagara County (New York: Sanford and Company, 1878), 92
19 History of Niagara County, New York, 376.
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between them 2 of the 3 original farm lots north of Tonawanda Creek, which they dubbed
the Village of Niagara. A handbill from 1824 advertises the village as possessing a “safe and
spacious harbor,” for canal boats and lake freighters, mentions daily stagecoach access to
Buffalo and Lewiston, and describes an “abundant and steady supply” of water to power
hydraulic mills. The same handbill goes on to state the “advantageous position of the village
for trade, market and manufacturers,” as well as accurately predicting that “the village (will
become) the depot of the products of the West, destined to the city of New York, and of
return cargoes of merchandise.”
With the purchase of the farm lots north of Tonawanda Creek, brothers James and John
Sweeney of Buffalo, and George Goundry of Geneva, New York, became the first real estate
agents in the area. The handbill previously mentioned offers lots for sale to settlers,
indicating the first time a concerted effort was made to market the area. Interested buyers
were encouraged to contact either James Sweeney of Buffalo or George Goundry of
Geneva.20 William Vandervoort relocated to the area in 1825. He had a business plan to
procure timber and staves for Boston, and open a mercantile business. He contributed to
the reemerging area through investment; in 1828, he built the first known public house,
which he called the Niagara. He also built the first bank, in 1836.
Within a few years, railroad companies established lines throughout the region to
supplement and compete with the canal. In 1844, the first locomotive was put on the track
between Tonawanda and Black Rock. The canal and railroad allowed companies to profit
from readily available lumber and the ability to easily transport their goods across the
country and to distant markets.
By 1852, the village nucleus had developed with thoroughfares extending northward to
Goundry Street and eastward to Payne Avenue. These roads stretched from where
Tonawanda Creek and Ellicott Creek converged at the toll bridge, and at this time, a
smattering of residential and industrial buildings crossed the village. Despite straddling
two different counties, the “twin cities” of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda were
considered part of the same “Village of Tonawanda” until the ward comprised of presentday North Tonawanda withdrew from the village corporation in 1857. After 1857, and until
1865, the removed ward was considered part of the nearby town of Wheatfield, until
citizens petitioned for incorporation as a distinct “Village of Wheatfield.” The petition was
successful, upon which the village became known as the Village of “North Tonawanda,”
incorporated May 8, 1865. The area remained relatively sparsely settled in the midnineteenth century. “Until well after the Civil War, North Tonawanda remained a cluster of
buildings in the angle made by the creek and the river, and the northern limit was more
20 History of Niagara County, 102
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realistically along Sylvan Street [Thompson Street].”21 At the time of its incorporation in
1865, the village was 681 acres with a population of 404. At that time, dozens of buildings
were scattered within the village nucleus whose edges were then Thompson Street to the
north and Payne Avenue to the east.
With North Tonawanda possessing a new identity as its own village, industry began to
grow. Straddling Tonawanda Creek, the area of the Tonawandas developed as a major stop
for the transshipment and processing of lumber during the mid-nineteenth century. Large
swaths of forested land still covered the area around North Tonawanda in the early 1800s,
setting the stage for the lumber industry that would soon follow. This natural resource,
combined with the increased presence of shipping networks by waterways and then rail,
led North Tonawanda to host a major lumber industry beginning in the mid-nineteenth
century. As early as 1833, the East Boston Lumber Company was headquartered on
Tonawanda Island and bought 16,000 acres on Grand Island to use its white oak trees for
clipper ship construction for its shipyards in Boston Harbor.22 The Erie Canal made this
multi-location business possible at the time, attesting to the impact of this waterway on the
early development of North Tonawanda.
Other lumber businesses soon arose in the area. In 1847, Colonel Lewis S. Payne
constructed the first sawmill, which was steam operated. A similar industrialist, John
Simson of Tonawanda, formed the joint stock company Tonawanda & Cleveland
Commercial Company in 1849, acknowledging the potential for the area to be a stop on an
as of yet to be developed transshipment route. The first planing mill, a mill that turned cut
lumber into useable building materials, was constructed in 1856 by William Emerson. The
same year a new industrial concern was formed, under the moniker Burrows, Lane &
Company. The company was the first to construct multiple docks and wharfs for large lake
barges to stop and unload goods and materials, starting with grain. The first shipment of
lumber from lands to the west was delivered in 1867, and by that point the Tonawandas
were recognized as a major port for transshipment of goods and materials.
By the mid 1870’s, lumber was considered the dominant industry of the area, and the
village grew readily, the municipal nucleus filling in and roads expanding northward with a
new settlement around Wheatfield Street. Lumber dominated the local economy and was
named the “prevailing feature of business” as early as 1878, and by the 1880s North
Tonawanda itself was being referred to as the “Lumber City.” Lumber and timber from the
forested areas of Michigan and Canada could be inexpensively shipped on barges across the
Great Lakes to the Tonawandas, planed, dressed and processed, and then transported by
rail and canal to markets in the east. Many people were employed unloading, sorting, and
21 Wilma Laux, “North Tonawanda Streets,” Tonawanda News Frontier (June 12, 1976), 21A.
22 Claire Ross, “Carnegie Library,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 1995.
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shipping lumber to eastern markets. Saw, lath, planing, and shingle mills as well as storage
areas and docks for loading and unloading lumber stretched miles along the Niagara River
shoreline. Lumber products such as logs, sawn and planed lumber, rough cut timber,
shingles and lath were processed and sent on their way.
By 1891 the lumber industry was booming, by local accounts second only to Chicago as a
market for lumber. Some of the lumber firms at this time included: A. B. Williams Saw and
Planing Mills which made doors, sashes and other products; Eastern Lumber Co., who were
wholesale lumber dealers; Fassett and Bellinger’s transshipment business; P. W. Scribner, a
wholesaler; George E. Hill’s Planing Mill; Scanlon, Bush and Company Rafters, which tied
large bundles of timber together in “rafters” for transport; J. S. Bliss and Company; A. M.
Dodge and Company wholesalers; Tonawanda Lumber and Saw Mill Company. After 1891,
Chicago’s place was bested by the Tonawandas twice in its history– in both 1903 and 1906
at the peak of the lumber industry. Between ca. 1870 and ca. 1900, over 60 companies
associated with the lumber trade had flourished in the Tonawandas, contributing to the
rapid commercial and residential development of those areas spanning Tonawanda Creek
and the Erie Canal.
As the area attracted more industries and residents, many public improvements were
made in the last two decades of the nineteenth century. Improvements to transportation
systems continued in the late nineteenth century, connecting disparate parts of the
growing city as well as the greater region. The New York Central & Hudson River Railroad
swing bridge, which connected the Tonawandas to Tonawanda Island, was constructed in
1885. By 1895, the installation of the electric streetcar allowed for travel within the city,
and for connection to inter-urban rail lines. An individual could use the Buffalo and Niagara
Falls Electric Railway Company line to travel between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, through
Tonawanda, North Tonawanda, LaSalle and back for fifty cents.23 Power for most of the
line was provided by the Power House in North Tonawanda at 184 Sweeney Street.
Other public improvements were designed to both provide comfort and accommodate
increased development. In 1885, the public water system was originated with the
Tonawanda City Water Works Company, which supplied the twin cities with potable water.
By 1894, North Tonawanda purchased the water works from Tonawanda. Natural gas was
made a public commodity for heating and lighting, with the incorporation of the Standard
Gas Company in 1888. The laying of brick pavement on streets and sewers began in 1888.
North Tonawanda grew quickly in the last decades of the nineteenth century. In 1880 the
23 Kerry Traynor, “The Herschell-Spillman Motor Complex,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination
Form, 2013.
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U.S. Census recorded 1492 residents, and by 1890 that had more than tripled to a
population of nearly 4800. Many of the old farmsteads in that area were subdivided for the
creation of large estates for wealthy businessmen and a few residential subdivisions for
middle class families. With this era of subdivision, the Sweeney estate entered a new phase
of development, which made great strides towards settling the former farm lot 81 with
multiple single-family residences intended for the middle and upper class residents, many
of whom made their fortune in the lumber industry.
On April 24, 1897, by an act of the New York State legislature, the village was incorporated
as a city. It was divided into three wards and a special election was held to elect the ward
supervisors. It was plainly apparent that by the city’s incorporation, North Tonawanda was
an industrious municipality. Unprecedented population growth and a rapid building boom,
propelled by the lumber industry, had created massive changes on the physical landscape
over the decades between 1880 and 1900.
Area Development Patterns in the Early Twentieth Century
The first half of the twentieth century brought several changes to North Tonawanda.
Changes to shipping networks were accompanied by the diversification of the city’s
industrial sector, as well as an increase in population. Dozens of new industrial businesses
were established in the area around the turn of the century, attracted to the combination of
shipping networks via extensive railroads and waterways, and cheap power from Niagara
Falls. In 1900, 9,096 people lived within the city’s boundaries. Just 7 years later in 1907,
the population was over 12,000.
Changes to the canal and shipping networks began to impact these new industries in the
1910s. In the early 1900s the canal was still a busy place, “with a large number of boats in
Tonawanda’s port, and 1306 canal boats clearing from this port in 1906.”24 Despite the
continued use of these waterways, the canal still needed some updates if the area was to
keep up with other shipping networks. By 1907, the canal was too small to accommodate
increasingly large boats, as “the size of the largest boats is limited to 200-ton capacity.”25
Around this time, the state of New York approved the building of a barge canal designed for
steam tug-barges of 1000-ton capacity, initially costing about $100 million. The western
end of this barge canal was to be located on Tonawanda Creek. Once this was completed,
this meant that the old Erie Canal, in the middle of Tonawanda, with its 200-ton mule-drive
barges, was subsequently obsolete and later abandoned.26 The end of the old towpath era
24 C. E. Burke, The Tonawandas of Today: Their Industries the Nation’s Greatest Lumber Mart (Buffalo: MatthewsNorthrup Works, 1907), 6.
25 Burke, 7.
26 Ross, 8.5.
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was marked in 1917, when the old dam was removed during the winter of 1917-18 and the
flow of the lower part of Tonawanda Creek reversed, lowering the level of canal water
between Tonawanda and Lockport by 3.4’ but enabling vessels to go directly from the
Niagara River into the canal.27
Rising to prominence by the late 1800s, the lumber trade began the first stages of decline in
the first decades of the 1900s. While it continued to have a notable presence in the city, the
dwindling of resources eventually meant the waning of the industry and the subsequent
rise of other industries in the area. Shortly after 1900 the lumber supply from the Great
Lakes states and Canada began to dwindle. The hundreds of acres of timber that had been
harvested for over thirty years had never been replanted with new trees. The increased
scarcity of this natural resource thus led to a rise in prices for the lumber supply, changing
the economy of the industry henceforth and thereby reducing its profitability over time.
These changes to the lumber supply meant the waning of the “Lumber City” era and a new
incarnation for the Tonawandas as an industrial center producing a more diverse array of
goods. The Sweeney family was particularly instrumental in transitioning North
Tonawanda into this new industrial era, as James Sweeney Jr. made considerable efforts to
attract industrial businesses to the region. Advertising the area’s access to multiple
shipping networks via waterways and railroads, James Jr. was instrumental in aiding North
Tonawanda during a time of transition between the dominant lumber industry and the
establishment of new facilities processing iron, steel, cardboard and a wider diversity of
products. Many of the former longshoreman took on work in newly opened factories
making products such as office equipment, paints, roofing products, fiber and laminated
products, steel products, paper boxes, and machine tools.
The iron industry began to have an increased presence in North Tonawanda during the
early 1900s. As one local pamphlet noted in 1907, “The iron industries are today a close
rival of the lumber business for the place of first importance in [North Tonawanda]. The
largest plant in the world for the manufacture of nuts and bolts is located here...Many forms
of machinery and manufactured iron are profitably and extensively made here.”28 In
addition to multiple factories affiliated with the iron industry, businesses producing or
processing goods such as cardboard boxes, steel products, metal fences and other items
were established in North Tonawanda during the early 1900s.
Following the introduction of new industries, a new population of working class laborers,
as well as middle and upper class business owners and managers, also began to settle in
27 Duncan Hay, “New York State Barge Canal” (National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, 2014),
182.
28 Burke, 5.
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the survey area during the 1900s-1920s. Many of these new citizens purchased lots that
were subdivided from the Sweeney Estate, settling in the newly constructed houses that
ranged from larger upper class residences to smaller middle class houses. Laborers, too,
sought housing in the broader North Tonawanda area. This population was “largely
German and in most cases own their own homes, and are interested in the general welfare
and advancement of the city quite as much as their daily wage.”29 As one pamphlet
boasted, admittedly with some bias towards inflating their perception, “These laborers are
industrious, intelligent, willing and contented.”30 Municipal buildings and institutions also
emerged in the survey area and greater North Tonawanda in order to serve this growing
residential population during the early twentieth century. Multiple schools, banks and
commercial buildings were constructed, as well as buildings such as the Carnegie Library at
240 Goundry Street in 1903 (NR 95NR00867) and the post office at 141 Goundry Street in
1912 (NR 90NR01972). As one pamphlet attested, North Tonawanda is a “pleasant place in
which to live.”31 Given the large range of industries, successful businesses, and pubic
institutions in the area, conditions were ideal for the growing population of North
Tonawanda in the early twentieth century.
The Sweeney Family Estate
The eminent Sweeney family played a crucial role in the initial development and ultimate
success of the city of North Tonawanda for over 100 years. Three generations of the
Sweeney family- led by James and John Sweeney Sr., James Sweeney 2nd, and then James
Sweeney Jr- were subsequently responsible for the development of the survey area from
the 1820s-1920s. While their involvement as developers and realtors at times overlapped,
in general the history of the survey area, which roughly corresponds to the original borders
of the original lots purchased by James Sweeney Sr., can be detailed in three major phases.
Each of the following three phases corresponds to a single generation of the Sweeney
family. Their approach to development also corresponds to and reflects broader changes
occurring in North Tonawanda at each phase over time as well.
Phase 1: James Sweeney (Elder) and John Sweeney, 1820s-1850
Pioneering Village of Niagara resident James Sweeney the elder was easily the largest
landowner in the area. Born in 1786 in Carmel, NY, the elder James Sweeney relocated
from Westchester County downstate and settled first in Buffalo in 1811. Arriving there
shortly before the War of 1812, family records indicate “he was one of those who fled up
29 Burke, 8.
30 Burke, 8.
31 Burke, 11.
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the beach road, when the British and Indians sacked the town in 1814.“32 In 1815,
Sweeney moved to Tonawanda, NY, at the north edge of present day Erie County.
Purchasing land in this area first, “he was subsequently actively identified with the early
railroad interests in this section of the State, and was one of the stockholders of the Buffalo
and Niagara Falls Railroad, which ran between those points as early as 1836 and was later
merged with New York Central.”33 Recognizing the value of recently surveyed land to the
north in what later became present-day North Tonawanda, Sweeney soon after became the
first major purchaser of land in this area.
On June 14, 1824, James Sweeney the elder purchased lots 81 and 82, which comprised the
majority of what later became North Tonawanda. He then conveyed 1/3 of his interest to
his brother, Col. John Sweeney, and 1/3 to George Goundry of Geneva, New York. William
Vandervoort, a brother-in-law of James Sweeney, purchased the remaining farm lot 80 June
7, 1826. The three lots composed ¾ of the old corporate village limits. This meant that
James Sweeney the elder, his brother Col. John Sweeney, and his brother-in-law William
Vandervoort, essentially owned the vast majority, about 500 acres, of what would soon
become North Tonawanda.
The industrious nature of the Sweeney brothers, James and John Sweeney, ensured that
what would eventually become North Tonawanda would flourish and grow. Land near
Tonawanda Creek was the first to be cleared in preparation for development, and to supply
timber for the city of Buffalo. “The clearing of the land was commenced for the purpose of
furnishing timber for the Buffalo pier, and to prepare the way for the sale of village lots.”34
The cleared land was then offered for sale as small lots. Ultimately, James moved to North
Tonawanda, erecting one of the first frame dwellings and residing there until his death.
Recognizing the importance of generosity and its ability to attract new settlers, James also
donated land for civic purposes, upon which the first school and Methodist church were
built in 1837.35 As he continued to sell lots and thus added to his means, “his benefactions
increased, and he aided worthy objects wherever aid was needed. He worked earnestly to
extend the benefits of local schools, manifesting the interest he felt by furnishing books and
often clothing to destitute children, placing them in a condition to be benefitted by them.”36
32 Larry E. Gobrecht, “North Tonawanda Post Office,” National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form,
1986), 8.3.
33 Josephus Nelson Larned, A History of Buffalo – Delineating the Evolution of the City (New York: The Progress
of the Empire State Company, 1911), 189.
34 History of Niagara County, 104.
35 History of Niagara County, 104.
36 History of Niagara County, 104.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
18
James and John established the first grist mill, and John built the first saw mill, which was
later destroyed by fire. John also oversaw the construction of the first railroad, and was the
first station agent for the railroad depot in North Tonawanda for many years. John also
constructed the first dock built on the creek, employing Elijah V. Day to supply the
foundations and planking.37
Sometime in the 1830s or 1840s, James Sweeney regained full interest in his real property
from John Sweeney and George Goundry. At the time of reacquisition, a great deal of the
land was still unimproved, characterized by an “unbroken wilderness.”38 When James
Sweeney the elder died in 1850 at the age of 57, much of the area was still undeveloped.
The Gifford map from 1852 demonstrates this relatively undeveloped area, as only the J.
Sweeney house and Sweeney estate appears, with no official roads laid out in the area.
When Sweeney the elder died in 1850, his son, also named James, inherited his father’s
large land estate at that time. In texts from the era, his son is referred to alternately as
James Sweeney Sr. or James Sweeney 2nd; son of the seminal resident James Sweeney. This
is because in 1866, his son would in turn also have a son named James Jr., who would
eventually become very active in divvying up the namesake estate. For the sake of clarity,
this document refers to James Sweeney the elder, his son James Sweeney 2nd, and his
subsequent son as James Sweeney, Jr.
Phase 2: James Sweeney 2nd
, 1850-1898
James Sweeney 2nd was born c. 1831 to James the elder and his wife Moicah (Vandervoort)
Sweeney. He received a formal education in Tonawanda and Buffalo, and in 1859 was
elected to the New York State Assembly. Also in 1859, he married Catherine Ganson,
daughter of John S. Ganson, a president of the New York and Erie Bank. Upon the end of his
term as assemblyman, he became cashier of the New York and Erie Bank. In the early
1890’s he became a trustee of the Erie County Savings Bank. His home was Buffalo, New
York, where he lived on Summer Street near Richmond Avenue, in the present-day
Elmwood Village. Although he lived in Buffalo for his adult life, he was instrumental in the
management of the Sweeney land in North Tonawanda during the second half of the
nineteenth century.
As heir to the large amount of land residing in North Tonawanda, James Sweeney 2nd (b.
1831-d. 1912) began to assist his father James the elder in the management of his large
holdings in North Tonawanda around 1840. First working together with his father and
then on his own after his father died in 1850, James 2nd continued to clear, develop and sell
37 History of Niagara County, 105.
38 Ross, 8.2.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
19
land for private profit as well as for the benefit of the budding community of North
Tonawanda. In 1868, the Sweeney Estate contributed the land on which the Sweeney
cemetery was established, where it is still located at the southeast corner of Payne and
Thompson Streets.39 Many prominent citizens have purchased lots in the cemetery and
beautified them. Among the number are Hon. Henry J. Smith, Hon. John Simpson, Franklin
Warren, Benjamin F. Felton, Hon. Lewis S. Payne, Garwood L. Judd, James Carney, Asa
Ransom, Frederick Sommer, James G. Primer and others.40
A few roads began to be laid out during the 1860s, as maps identify Tremont Street and
Goundry Street, as well as unlabeled versions of an early Vandervoort St and Division
Street, existed at that time. Gradually, streets began being laid out eastward beginning in
the mid-1800s. In 1868, for instance, Goundry Street was extended eastward across Payne
Avenue.41 During the 1870s, a great deal of the original Sweeney lots remained relatively
undeveloped. By 1875, Christina Street and Payne Street appeared on maps. It was noted
that “the developments east of Oliver Street and north of Thompson were very tardy and
none worthy of note had been made up to 1880.” However, due to increased transportation
and shipping networks, the decade between 1880 and 1890 displayed a marked interest in
the city as development began to occur at a quicker pace:
Nothing can bring more convincing proof of the rapid development of North
Tonawanda than to make comparisons with former years. As late as five years since
the progress had just reached Payne’s Avenue, while now this whole section has
been transformed into a city up to and extending beyond the old corporation limits
on both the north and east lines. Stores, halls, hotels, offices, cottages and more
pretentious residences have arisen on all sides, until there are but few vacant lots
and these generally owned by some person intending to build in the near future. The
lots and buildings, too, are generally owned or under contract by the tenant, so that
the Lumber City is rapidly becoming a place of homes; of neatly built cottages
surrounded with handsome grass plats, rather than tumble-down tenement
structures where workmen only stay until they can get away. This section of the
place enjoys all the city conveniences of the older portion.
Lands east of Payne Avenue appeared best offered as residential building lots, and in 1891
the land east was described by the Sweeneys as a “gravelly ridge, with good natural
drainage and with the system of sewerage, water, and electric lights, put in the present
year.” Streets were paved with brick beginning in 1888, but the pavement did not extend
east of Niagara Street at that time. By 1893, maps indicate that most of the streets in the
39 History of Niagara County, 105.
40 History of Niagara County, 105.
41 Laux, “North Tonawanda Streets,” 21A.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
20
central and south portion of the survey area existed, including Bryant St, Falconer St,
Niagara St, and Division Street. Whiting Street had not yet been laid out at this time.
The northeast portion of the survey area was slower to develop. The portion of land
furthest to the east, site of the present-day Pine Woods Park, ended at the Mile Reserve and
is described as a “natural grove,” 40 acres of which was fenced in to preserve the natural
setting. A portion of the grove, nicknamed “pine woods,” and slated for development,
housed the first “Sweeney Estate” real estate office. Managed by James Sweeney 2nd’s son,
James Sweeney Junior, the Sweeneys are noted as taking “payments extending from ten to
twenty years” for those seeking a home on Sweeney property. It was at this time that some
of the oldest remaining residences were constructed, typically sold to wealthy
entrepreneurs.
As the developer and financier of the Sweeney Estate, James 2nd sold, leased, and
mortgaged select parcels as commerce increased in the latter half of the 19th century. The
Sweeney real estate office on the estate would eventually be relocated, to 15 Webster
Street at the city’s inner core. This building became known as the “Sweeney Building,” and
today is called the “Webster Building.” In 1895, an advertisement in the Tonawanda
Evening news shows that the residential portion of the Sweeney Estate was being actively
marketed at this time. The ad implores interested homebuyers to visit the Sweeney
Building:
“WANTED – People to borrow money at 5 and 6 per cent, or to rent or buy real
estate. Apply Jas. Sweeney, Jr., corner Sweeney and Webster St.”
Business was brisk, as evident of the Sweeney family visiting Egypt on a Nile River
excursion in 1892. By 1898, however, James 2nd’s “advanced age forced him to retire from
the active management of the property.”42 Much like his father James the elder had
transferred the business to him, James 2nd began training his son James Jr in order to
transfer the Sweeney Estate development business to him in the following decades.
Phase 3: James Sweeney Jr (3rd
), 1898-1929
By the early 1890’s James 2nd’ son, James Jr. (b. 1866-1929), was an active partner in
brokering the estate. Under direction from his father until 1898 when he took over the
business, he managed the real estate office during North Tonawanda’s rapid growth spurt.
Born, raised, and residing in Buffalo at the family mansion at 335 Summer Street his entire
life, he nevertheless was an active participant in the extreme growth of North Tonawanda
42 Larned, 189.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
21
as it moved forward into the 20th century. He attended Buffalo’s public schools and
Professor Briggs’ Classical School, then worked in a law firm briefly and spent a year in
Europe before joining the family business. From the 1890s until he died in 1929, he “was
engaged in the real estate business and in the management of the extensive Sweeney
estate.”43
When James Jr began managing the estate in the 1890s, the Sweeneys still had many
lucrative land holdings well into the first quarter of the 21st century. Around 1905, James Jr.
rapidly increased the subdivision of lots and construction of residences, particularly in the
areas east of Payne Avenue. Over the next fifteen years, many houses were built for middle
and upper class residents on the Sweeney estate. A typical Sweeney Estate advertisement
from 1912 states a “Splendid opportunity for getting a home,” noting “choice locations on
Goundry, Christiana, Schenk, Robinson, Ransom, Niagara, Bryant and Thompson streets.”
As manger of the estate, Sweeney Jr. continued in the footsteps of his father in combining
his own interest in personal profit with a commitment to bettering the community at large.
As one newspaper noted, “It is a matter of common knowledge and often spoken of by the
older residents who established homes in the vicinity of Sweeney Park 30-35 years ago
[1880s] that thanks to Mr. Sweeney they secured those homes- that he not only allowed
them to purchase a lot to be paid for in small installments, but also in many instances paid
for building houses for them or secured loans for them.”44 The Sweeney family was known
for its willingness to work with customers on their purchase, assisting with flexible
payment plans. They offered, “Splendid opportunity for getting a home. We offer choice
locations for sale on small payments down, 12 years balance in monthly payments if
purchaser desires, providing party will pay enough down to warrant. We would be glad to
talk on putting him up a place. Apply James Sweeney, Jr agent, Sweeney property, corner
Sweeney and Webster St.”45
Choice locations for factories are also mentioned in advertisements during the first two
decades of the 20th century. Particularly in the early 1900s, Sweeney Jr. made his mark on
the history of Sweeney land development by applying many efforts to attract new
industries as well as residents. As one account has noted, “Jr has paid particular attention
to the building up of large factory buildings and industries on the property.”46 From about
1900-1905, he managed to attract 23 new factories to the southern part of the Sweeney
estate near the creek. He was able to achieve this success by maintaining ownership of the
43
“James Sweeney is Laid at Rest in Forest Lawn.” The Evening News (September 17, 1929).
44
“People’s Forum,” The Evening News (February 2, 1918), 5
45 Advertisement, The Evening News (March 13, 1912), 3.
46 Larned, 108.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
22
land and building factories that industrial businesses could then lease from the estate. The
arrangement Sweeney Jr. offered was as follows:
The owners of the land erect the factories on the property and lease
them to the manufacturers on long terms of from 10-25 years. These
factories, combined, employ about 2000 people, and the desirability of
the property as a site for manufacturing purposes is plainly manifest.
It is situated on the 1000 ton barge canal and the Niagara River,
accessible to connections with every important railroad line in this
part of the country. Natural gas and electric power from Niagara Falls
add to its desirability.47
Several factories affiliated with the lumber, iron, steel and other industries were drawn to
North Tonawanda as a result of Sweeney Jr.s efforts at this time.
This increased industrial activity also encouraged more residential settlement in the areas
north of the creek, accommodating upper and upper-middle class citizens affiliated with
managing and running these businesses. Streets continued to be laid out on the estate at
this time, and by 1908 all of the present-day streets in the estate were present on maps. By
1908, the “Sweeney family [still] has about 150-200 acres, and this comprises what is left of
the original grant of the three farm lots.”48 While many of the lots had been sold by this
time, residential construction continued to occur at a steady rate into the next decade.
Additionally, Sweeney Jr. continued to actively purchase any adjacent land that became
available as well. For instance, in 1912, Sweeney Jr. purchased the Sloat Property on
Sweeney St between Webster and Tremont St. This plot was about 160 sq ft and included 2
frame houses with stables.49 At this time, the Sloat property “was one of the few remaining
plots in the block bounded by Webster, Tremont, Main and Sweeney Street that was not
owned by the Sweeney Estate.”50 This indicates that Sweeney Jr. continued to maintain in
active interest in buying and selling land for development in the early twentieth century.
In 1913, James Sweeney Jr. decided to focus his efforts on subdividing lots and constructing
residences in the 10-acre area bounded by Christiana, Niagara, Schenck and Division
Streets. At this time a newspaper reflected, “The Sweeney Estate is planning on cutting
Sweeney Park up into numerous building lots and erecting many houses during the year.”51
This led to a flurry of concern amongst North Tonawanda citizens, who desired the land for
an official public park. This eventually led to the establishment of Pine Woods Park on the
former Sweeney Park land in 1917 (see section on Pine Woods below).
47 Larned, 108.
48 Larned, 188.
49
“Sweeeneys Now Own Almost Entire Downtown Block,” The Evening News (February 17, 1912), 3.
50
“Sweeeneys Now Own Almost Entire Downtown Block,” 3.
51
“Many Houses to be Built,” The Evening News (December 13, 1913), 1.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
23
In 1918, James Sweeney 2nd passed away. James Sweeney Jr. officially became sole manager
of the Sweeney Estate as executor and trustee granted in his father’s will. The last will and
testament of James Sweeney Sr., dated 1909, notes that the lands held in the estate have
been rapidly increasing in value over the last five years. In the will, James Jr. is advised to
keep the property together until the most advantageous time, but may use discretion to
divide, sell, and develop it how he pleases. He seems to have begun dividing and developing
land in this way before his father’s death, and his management of the estate continued in
this manner for another decade.
A full-page advertisement in the Tonawanda Evening News from 1928 outlines the history
of the Sweeney Estate and proudly boasts of the improvements the family has made to
North Tonawanda over the decades. “One of the prettiest residential sections in North
Tonawanda is the Sweeney Park section. This was subdivided and sold through the
Sweeney Estates. Today some of the most beautiful homes in this vicinity can be seen in
this section, attesting to the progressive foresight of the Sweeney Estate.”52
By the time of James Jr.’s death a year later in 1929, all of the residential streets within the
survey area had been laid out. After James Jr.’s passing, his sister Louise became executor
of the estate. Louise Parkway, developed after the park was purchased to the city, was
named after Louise Sweeney. Louise W. Sweeney married Edward H. Ballard of Pelham
Manor in 1913, New York. Together they lived first in Buffalo at the Sweeney house on
Summer Street and then she moved to Bronxville NY with him in 1937, where she lived
until she died in 1959.
Shortly after becoming executor of the Sweeney Estate, Louise Sweeney passed the
management of the land to a newly formed company in 1930. This company, James
Sweeney Properties, Inc, “had taken over all the property of the late James Sweeney in the
Tonawandas.”53 This marked the end of an era for the Sweeney Estate, as the remaining
properties were no longer managed directly by the Sweeney family for the first time since
their purchase in 1824.
Development of the Pine Woods Residential Section
Pine Woods Park, located in the northeast portion of the survey area between Christiana
and Schenck Street east of Niagara Street, underwent a different history of development
52 “Sweeney Estates One of the Tonawanda’s Biggest Real Estate Firms.” The Evening News (September 7,
1928): 8.
53 “New Application for Permit for Gas Station on Webster St. Presented,” The Evening News (January 16,
1932), 2.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
24
than the remainder of the Sweeney lots. Prior to its subdivision and redesign in 1917, this
area was known as Sweeney Park or Sweeney Woods. Throughout the late 1800s and early
1900s, “this area had been used by the children of several generations as a playground and
as a picnic park by the older people.”54 This land had been owned by the Sweeney Estate
since the family’s initial purchase in 1824, and the Sweeneys had all 40 acres fenced in “to
protect its natural beauty.” While the Sweeney Estate owned the land, it remained
undeveloped and functioned essentially as a park that was free for all to enjoy. Although
they offered the land for public use, the Sweeney Estate still paid taxes on the land to the
city through the nineteenth and early twentieth century.55
As population pressures grew at the turn of the century, it seemed inevitable that it would
be given up to development. Public discussions surrounding the official purchase of land
for a public park began in the early 1900s, but it took another ten years to secure the
location, funding and transfer of deeds. Sweeney Park was often mentioned as the first
choice for a park location and it “has always been the most prominently mentioned when
park sites were discussed.”56 Other sites were discussed, such as Payne Hill outside the
district, but Sweeney Park offered some natural advantages for the design of a park: “The
site has the fundamental advantages of easy access and general suitability...the statements
of experts who hold that better results can be obtained by making over bare ground into
woodland and artificial water.”57 The ease of creating this park was seen as a benefit: “The
Sweeney Woods are a natural park and are the only site in the city of any size which can be
secured which will not have to be cleared of houses and planted to trees in order to make a
park.”58 Given that it had essentially functioned as a semi-public park space for several
decades, “it would require little change to make it meet all requirements for a breathing
spot.”59
Negotiations between the city and the Sweeney family, however, seemed to be only
lukewarm by 1908. One local newspaper noted, “The owners of Sweeney Park are
evidently not over-anxious to sell this private park to North Tonawanda. On the other hand
there seems to be no over-anxiety on the part of the city to buy all or part of Sweeney
Park.”60 Settling on an appropriate price seemed to be the largest issue, as “the Sweeney
family would be glad to do still more for the city, but after paying taxes for more than half a
century and allowing the people of North Tonawanda to enjoy the property, the point has
54 Arnold, “Proposed Park and Playground,” The Evening News, (July 18, 1917), 5.
55
“Sweeney Park Offered to City,” The Evening News (July 10, 1917), 3.
56
“New Location is Suggested for Municipal Park,” The Evening News (March 2, 1912), 5.
57 The Evening News (June 4, 1908), 2.
58 Arnold, 5.
59
“New Location is Suggested for Municipal Park,” 5.
60
“People’s Forum,” The Evening News (February 8, 1918), 5.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
25
been reached where the Sweeney estate must turn this property into money, to meet
obligations of the estate.”61
By 1912, discussions surrounding the establishment of an official public park became more
frequent. As the public became more aware of the push for development in the remaining
open land, “public spirited citizens are anxious for North Tonawanda to own a park site
before the best locations are gone.”62 Local newspapers addressed the pressure from
developers, stating, “Sweeney Park is in danger of being cut up into building lots...The
growth of the city has encroached so closely that the eye of the real estate promoter and
home builder is upon it.”63 With this threat of development imminent, negotiations
between the Sweeneys and the city became more substantial by 1915. Despite
“undisclosed outside parties who want the property for real estate investment,” the
Sweeney’s remained committed to selling the land to the city for the purposes of
establishing a public park.64 As purchasing options became more formal, the estate
reiterated, “Mr. Sweeney and his sister very much desire the city of North Tonawanda to
have Sweeney Park, just as Mr. Sweeney Sr. always desired that Sweeney Park should
become a possession of the city.”65
In late 1916, the Sweeney Estate “offered the entire forty acres less the four lots already
sold at the corner of Niagara and Christiana for $125,000 or about $3000 an acre.”66 The
land to be acquired was ““part of the Sweeney property bounded by Niagara, Thompson,
Schenk and Division Streets. Such portion would include practically all that is best adapted
to park purposes.”67 The city was to secure an $85,000 municipal bond at 4.5% interest for
the purchase of the park.68 There was pushback from some residents who were against the
tax increase that would come with the bond, and some were concerned that with the war, it
was the wrong time to invest. However, this increase, residents were assured, would “be a
very few cents each month on each thousand of his valuation.”69 The Chamber of
Commerce of the Tonawandas led the efforts to create the public park and spare the 40
acres; they lobbied repeatedly for its approval. In order to finalize the city’s purchase of
the land, the transaction was to be put to a public vote in July of the following year, given
that public funds would be required in order to obtain the park for public use.
61
“Sweeney Park Offered to City,” 3.
62
“New Location is Suggested for Municipal Park,” 5.
63
“No More Time to Talk,” The Evening News (August 24, 1915), 2.
64
“Sweeney Park Purchase,” The Evening News (August 26, 1915), 9.
65
“Sweeney Park Purchase,” 9.
66 Arnold, 5.
67
“No More Time to Talk,” 2.
68 Arnold, 5.
69 Arnold, “5.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
26
The Chamber of Commerce “inaugurated a sweeping campaign of publicity in which it
convinced the community that great benefits are derived from parks and playgrounds.”
Every taxpayer in the city received a “two-color” sketch of the proposed development of
the park, along with a postal ballot. Also included with the sketch was a text that argued the
benefits of the project. Taxpayers were to return the ballot with their comments, and those
who did not were personally called on by the chamber. On July 25, 1917, the day of the
vote, the Chamber went as far as to offer free transportation to the polling place via
automobiles driven by volunteers. The vote passed by almost two to one and the city closed
on the purchase of the parcel of land from the Sweeney Estate on October 19, 1917. This
purchase plan stated that the first payment would be made in 1925 and annually thereafter
at the rate of $5000 a year until paid.”70 When these voting North Tonawanda citizens
decided to approve the purchase this land, these “taxpayers decided that Sweeney park
should not be cut into building lots and lost to the Tonawandas...The city proved that it is a
unit, one and inseparable when greatest good for the greatest number is concerned.”71
In the months before and after the July 1917 vote, designs for the new park were prepared
by Professor Alan F. Arnold, Assistant Professor of Forest Extension and Instructor of
Landscape Engineering, Syracuse University. A North Tonawanda native, “Arnold has
promised to return to the city without cost to lay out the park and to furnish a detailed plan
and program for the park.”72 Released and circulated prior to the July vote, Arnold’s new
site plan divided up 40 acres of the heavily wooded portion of the Sweeney Estate that
stretched from Division Street west to Niagara Street, north to Schenck Street and south to
Christiana Street. Arnold embraced a naturalistic approach, as he “recommended that only
a gradual change be made in the woods if they are secured, trimming and doctoring the
trees to save them from decay, cleaning up the brush to increase the open spaces but
leaving the larger part rough woodland.”73 He stated, “Paths and roadways could be cut
through the woods at very small expense, wildflowers encouraged to grow and within a
few years this city would have a park would attract attention all over Western New York.”74
The plan also included a playground, wading pool, and sports fields for recreation space
which “would greatly add to the beauty of the district.”75 This combination of naturalistic
space with more formal recreational facilities was in keeping with park designs of the early
twentieth century.
70 Arnold, 5.
71
“Sweeney Park Retained,” The Evening News (July 27, 1917), 2.
72
“Looks Like Four to One In Favor of Purchase of Sweeney Park by the City,” The Evening News (July 25, 1917),
1.
73 Arnold, 5.
74 Arnold, 5.
75 Arnold, 5.
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27
Arnold’s plan devoted 30 acres to the park, while the remaining ten acres would be
retained for future residential development. In addition to designing the 30-acre park,
Arnold also agreed to “lay out the residential section which is to be retained by the
Sweeney interests and in which lots will be sold for the building of fine homes.”76 At the
time of the plan’s design, four lots had already been purchased within this 10 acres section,
and one had been constructed already. Prior to the vote, there was fear that if the 30 acres
designed as parkland wasn’t purchased from the Sweeney Estate, eventually all of the
wooded portion would be cleared for future development. Once the parkland was
purchased in October 2017, the ten-acre residential portion was retained by the Estate,
which maintained the winding street grid and park-like residential design created by Alfred
T. Arnold. This portion of the district was developed much more slowly, and over a longer
period of time than the majority of the district. Development occurred between ca. 1920
and ca. 1970. Presumably the decline of the lumber trade, death of James Sweeney, Jr. in
1929, and the arrival of the Great Depression, slowed the remaining development.
The park retained the name “Sweeney Park” upon its initial purchase by the city and redesign by Arnold in 1917. As early as February 1918, the Women’s Civic Club unanimously
voted to change the name of park to indicate its new ownership by the city, but others
resisted this change. Ultimately the name ‘Sweeney Park’ was kept for two more decades
“as a way of showing some slight appreciation of the many benefits conferred upon this city
by the late James Sweeney, and later by his son, the present James Sweeney.”77
The Women’s Civic Club pushed again for a name change in 1939, as by that time they
essentially functioned as the stewards of the park who often donated their time to
maintenance and recreational programming. Awarded the naming rights by the city, the
Women’s Civic Club changed the name from Sweeney Park to ‘Pine Woods Park’ in October
1939, 21 years after the city purchased the land from the Sweeney Estate. In choosing the
name, they stated, “For many years, the park was known as Pine Woods, because of the
large number of pine trees within its bounds.”78 Along with this name change, the club also
conducted improvements in the park, when they “decided to reforest the park with pine
trees, they have become very scarce there in recent years, due to various causes.”79 In
addition to these new plantings, the park entrance at the corner of Niagara and Christiana
Streets was also completed at this time. This entrance, “consists of four pillars, constructed
of cobblestone and is semi-circular in effect. Surmounting the two highest pillars are
lanterns which add greatly to the attractiveness of the entrance.”80 This entrance is still
76
“Looks Like Four to One In Favor of Purchase of Sweeney Park by the City,” 1.
77
“People’s Forum,” 5.
78
“N.T. Park Named By Women’s Civic Club,” The Evening News (October 5, 1939), 2.
79
“N.T. Park Named By Women’s Civic Club,” 2.
80
“N.T. Park Named By Women’s Civic Club,” 2.
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
28
intact today, where Arnold’s original plan still provides plentiful space for the public at
Pine Woods Park much as he envisioned in 1917.
Notable Residents
Aside from the Sweeney family themselves, many notable residents lived in the survey area
during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Several of the streets in the survey
area were named for the early founders, friends and family members of the Sweeneys.
Aside from Sweeney Street itself, another member of the Sweeney family is honored with
the street name of Louisa Parkway. Goundry Street is named after another early purchaser
of land in the area, George Goundry, who helped lay out and develop the first streets with
the Sweeneys in the early nineteenth century. Schenck Street was named after an early
developer of the area in the mid-nineteenth century. According to one local newspaper,
Schencks, “name was nearly lost in 1888 when James Sweeney 2nd opened an extension of
Schenck St, through the Sweeney Woods, and wanted the whole length named Saginaw
Street.”81 This was avoided, as the street still honors his name today.
Thompson Street (formerly Sylvan Street) and Oliver Street are both named after Oliver
Thompson, and Geneva Street is named after his wife. An early settler of North
Tonawanda, the Thompson homestead was located at the intersection of Goundry, Main
and Tremont Streets since the mid-nineteenth century. Oliver Thompson’s son with his
wife Catherine Sweeney, James Sweeney Thompson, was a prominent banker with
interests in the lumber industry who lived at 378 Goundry Street. By 1907, he was the
largest remaining individual landholder within the estate, owning about two blocks of
property from Thompson to Goundry and Falconer to Niagara. Always active in the lumber
industry in some way, he partnered with Edward H. Hubman and George Fisher, to create
Thompson, Hubman & Fisher, a planing mill that made doors, sashes, blinds and planed
lumber.
Christiana Street derives its name in relation to one of North Tonawanda’s earliest settlers,
as Christiana was the name of Mrs. H.P. Smith. Christiana’s mother, Mrs. Benjamin Long,
was the widow of Tonawanda’s first permanent settler, and it was from her that the Smiths
“purchased a tract extending from Payne Avenue almost to Vandervoort, and from both
sides of Christiana Street to Thompson.”82 Grant and Lincoln Avenues are also related to
this family, as they were both named after men that Mrs. Christiana Smith esteemed. She
lived at 52 Christiana for over twenty years in her old age, and “many of the other lots on
the street were owned by her son and daughters.”83
81 Laux, “North Tonawanda Streets,” 21A.
82 Laux, “North Tonawanda Streets,” 21A.
83 Laux, “North Tonawanda Streets,” 21A.
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Payne Street bears the name of Hon. Lewis S. Payne, an early example of the type of
opportunity and success that North Tonawanda represented in the nineteenth century.
Payne was born in the town of Bergen, Genesee county, N. Y., in 1819. His parents being
poor he had no advantages of education, except the imperfect common schools which then
existed, and the academies of Monroe and Genesee counties. At 16, he found employment
at Tonawanda, N. Y., as clerk in a store. By the age of 21, he succeeded his employers in the
mercantile business, soon became engaged in the lumber business. In 1841, he moved to
North Tonawanda, and in 1844 he was elected supervisor of his town, and for many years
afterward represented the town in that capacity. In 1847, Payne built the first steam sawmill in Tonawanda. In 1849 he was appointed collector of canal tolls at Tonawanda, his
being the first appointment made at that place; and in 1850 was re-appointed to the same
position. In the fall of 1850 he was elected clerk of Niagara County, and in 1854, at the end
of his term, retired with the approbation of the citizens of the county universally, for the
courteous manner in which he had discharged the duties of the office. In 1855 Mr. Payne
engaged in the forwarding, shipping and commission business, with the extensive elevator
and docks at Tonawanda, and in 1858 turned his attention to farming and politics. In 1859
he was nominated as a Democrat for the office of State Senator for the district. Payne was
a celebrated war hero in the American Civil War. In the fall of 1861 he raised, at his own
expense, a company of volunteers, and formed a part of the one hundredth regiment, which
was recruited from western New York at Buffalo. He was at war for 3 years before
returning home to North Tonawanda in 1865. In the following year, he was again
nominated and elected county clerk, though in a county giving several hundred Republican
majority. He served his term of three years, and in 1869 was elected member of Assembly
from his district, service as chairman of the committee on claims, and was also a member of
the committees on canals and military affairs. In November 1877, he was again nominated
for senator for the 29th district, and was elected over his opponent, the Republican
nominee, being the first Democrat ever elected in the 29th senatorial district. He died at
his home on Payne Hill to the north of the survey area in North Tonawanda in 1898. In
1964, a commemorative marker honoring Col. Payne’s Civil War exploits was erected at the
triangle at Webster, Main and Goundry Streets.
Many of those residing in the grander houses in the older, southwest portion of the district
were major businessmen, politicians, and industrial entrepreneurs. Several residents were
affiliated with the lumber industry, which brought significant wealth to North Tonawanda,
and specifically the survey area, during the nineteenth century. Fassett Street is named
after a business, attesting to the prominence of the lumber industry in the survey area for
many decades. Since the early 1870s, the lumber firm of Smith and Fassett owned
Tonawanda Island and extensively used the river to ship and receive lumber. The Fassett
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name today marks the two-block right of way section between Robinson and Schenck in
the northeast portion of the survey area.84
Other prominent residents of the district were afiiliated with the lumber industry. Paschal
S. Humphrey and George B. Vandervoort both started out lumbermen, but partnered in the
late 19th century to form Humphrey & Vandervoort Insurance, which is still in business
today. Humphrey’s mansion was located at 332 Goundry Street, and Vandervoort’s was 184
Goundry Street. Frank Batt, and his brother Michael Batt both worked with the lumber
concern Bliss & Co. for many years until it dissolved in 1893. After that, Frank opened a
large hardware store on Webster Street in 1897, and Michael became a real estate agent.
Frank was active in public matters, and was trustee of North Tonawanda for four years.
Frank’s large home was at 303 Goundry Street, and Michael’s was at 346 Goundry. William
E. Kelsey and James Gillespie were partners in the wholesale lumber firm Kelsey &
Gillespie, which handled about twenty million feet of lumber annually. Kelsey’s home was
at 412 Goundry Street, and James Gillespie’s was 266 Goundry. W. J. Curtis, a lumberman
who worked with Export Lumber CO. and Hall & Munson Co., lived at 115 Christiana Street.
William Evans, lumberman and trustee of the Niagara County Savings Bank, had a home at
130 Christiana Street, and 147 Christiana was the home of Doctor Charles W. Clendenan.
William H. Bellinger, who resided at 103 Christiana Street, was according to accounts,
“associated with the lumber business since its inception in this place,” as well as state
inspector of lumber. In 1891, Bellinger founded Rumbold & Bellinger, which claimed a dock
frontage of 600 feet and the ability to handle the transfer of twelve to thirteen million feet
of lumber annually.
The large frame residence at 209 Niagara Street was built for another major lumber baron,
Ray H. Bennett. Bennett began his lumber business at Main and Island Streets as Hoadley
and Bennett in 1902, eventually expanding to 190 Oliver Street, the former W. G. Palmer
Lumber Co. facilities.85 In addition to lumber, the Ray H. Bennett Lumber Co. also sold
prefabricated mail order ‘kit homes,’ known as Bennett Redi-Bilt Homes. These kit houses
were vernacular architecture of wood construction, with pieces produced at the
manufacturing site, mailed, and then assembled according to a standard design on the
building site. It represents an important typology of prefabricated houses that was
common amongst middle and working class residents. Bennett houses, either built from a
Bennett kit or simply with Bennett lumber, constructed in the first half of the twentieth
century are located throughout Western New York as well as in other parts of the country.
84 Laux, “North Tonawanda Streets,” 21A.
85 Martin Wachadlo, “Historic Treasures Tour Guide” (North Tonawanda, NY: North Tonawanda History
Museum, 2007), 3.
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In the twentieth century, the wealthy families from the prior century often remained in the
survey area, and were joined by an influx of upwardly mobile middle class residents as
well. In 1907, houses from within the survey area were featured in an illustrated brochure
titled “The Tonawandas of Today,” published by the North Tonawanda Board of Trade. The
brochure extolled the benefits of the Tonawandas as both a place to live and a center of
industry, and boasted statistics. A two-page spread, titled “A Few of the ‘Tonawandas’
Residences,” features photos of over a dozen large homes representative of the prosperity
of the region and all of which were located within the boundaries of the proposed district.
The homes are identified by their owners, and of the homes, 9 remain to this day: Guy
White’s residence at 359 Goundry Street; Alfred C. Tuxbury (324 Goundry); Wallace G.
Palmer (341 Goundry); James Sweeney Thompson (378 Goundry); H. Jason Knapp (206
Christiana Street); John Schulmeister (325 Goundry); William Stradella (335 Goundry);
Stanley C. Peuchen (309 Goundry); Lewis A. Kelsey of the L.A. Kelsey Wholesale Lumber
Company (358 Goundry).
John E. Oelkers lived at 366 Goundry Street, and was a successful grocer. Very active in the
community, he was a founding member of the German American Bank, serving as its Vice
President for a time. He also served as trustee, treasurer, and president of North
Tonawanda at different times. John Mundie was a well-known jeweler, of Mundie & McCoy,
whose advertisements are placed frequently throughout the North Tonawanda City
Directory. Mundie’s home was at 286 Goundry Street.
Prominent businessman Farny R. Wurlitzer lived in the survey area at 373 Goundry Street.
He moved to this location in 1917, hiring North Tonawanda architect Louis F. Eggert to
design the Colonial Revival mansion on the site today. For 62 years, Farny Wurlitzer was a
moving force in the Wurtlizer Company, manufacturer of pipe organs, founded by his
father. It was largely Farny’s efforts to locate the manufacturing plant of the company in
North Tonawnda.86
The James DeGraff household occupied a brick mansion located on the southwest corner of
Payne Avenue and Goundry Street. James DeGraff got his start as a lumberman in 1863 in
Michigan, and returned to the Tonawandas a decade later to engage in banking. He became
president of The State Bank in 1883, and built his homestead in 1884. Legrand S. DeGraff,
James DeGraff’s son, was manager for A. Weston & Son wholesale lumber dealers. With his
fortune, he founded the DeGraff Memorial Hospital in his own name in 1914.
The survey area was also home to two former Mayors of North Tonawanda, Benjamin Long
Rand. Born in Batavia in 1855, B. L. Rand worked as a cashier with James DeGraff in the
86 Wachadlo, 4.
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State Trust Bank. A prominent citizen, Rand later had his own bank on Webster Street. He
served two terms as Mayor, from 1915-1918, while living in his residence at 257 Goundry
Street. After his first wife, Kate Stanley Rand, died in 1929, he later lived with his second
wife Lucy Wakeland Rand next door at 261 Goundry, where he died at the age of 96 in
1952.87 Another prominent North Tonawanda citizen lived in Rand’s first residence next
door at 257 Goundry during the late 1930s and early 1940s, Ralph Taber. Taber was the
lead engineer, inventor and founder of Taber Instruments, a materials testing instruments
production company later known as Taber Industries. This business was founded at 111
Goundry Street in 1941, a building formerly operated by the Rand Company operations.88
Mayor Henry P. Smith III, a descendant of Christiana Long Smith the namesake of
Christiana Street, built 353 Christiana Street as his residence. After serving as Mayor of
North Tonawanda, Henry III eventually became a Congressman, and it was at this time that
U.S. President Gerald Ford slept in this house when visiting North Tonawanda.89
The Survey Area after 1930
The formation of James Sweeney Properties, Inc. in 1930 marked a new era for the survey
area, as this large swath of land was no longer directly managed by members of the
Sweeney family estate. One of the first problems the new company faced was paying off
taxes on the land, some of which had been inherited from the Sweeney Estate. In 1933, the
company proposed donating land at the corner of Robinson and Fassett Streets to the city
for the purpose of a public playground, in exchange for waiving past, present and future
taxes owed by the company. The city denied the exchange.90 Faced with this need to raise
more income, the company turned its efforts towards developing the remaining empty lots
in the survey area during the mid 1930s.
While the vast majority of the buildings in the area had already been constructed by 1930,
but there were still pockets of empty lots scattered throughout the district that had yet to
be developed. Overall, development had occurred slower on the east side of the survey
area, since the general development pattern had crept north and east from the southwest
corner of the survey area near the canal since the early nineteenth century. As the James
Sweeney Properties Inc. took over managing the land in this area, development after 1930
occurred primarily in the southeast portion of the survey area. This development was
focused first on Louise Parkway and Pine Woods Drive near the park, and then on Niagara
and Whiting Streets south of the park near the DeGraff Memorial Hospital. The Park was
87 Wachadlo, 4.
88 Wachadlo, 5.
89 Wachadlo, 12.
90
“Remember When,” Tonawanda News (August 22, 1958), 2.
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officially established in 1917 and the hospital in 1914, but the residential lots around these
two areas were slow to develop in the following decades due in part to the degradation of
the lumber industry around that time. By the time James Sweeney Properties Inc took over
the land in 1930, these areas remained open for development and the company thus
continued to build houses in this part of the survey area through the 1950s.
By the mid-1930s, nearly all of the houses were constructed in conjunction with a small
private garage on the back of the property, reflecting the domination of automobile use by
the neighborhood residents. While some of the larger houses built during the 1910s were
originally constructed with their own garages, many of those that did not tended to
construct a garage on the property in the following decades. Building permits for many
addresses in the district reveal that several private garages were constructed during the
late 1920s and early 1930s. Most of these garages tended to house one car, and were
accessed by a small paved driveway leading from the street to the back of the property
behind the house. The majority of garages were constructed with simple stylistic elements
that echoed the style of the house on the property. The presence of these garages reveal
that cars were the primary transportation method of the district’s residents by this time,
attesting to the dominance of the automobile as well as the comfortable socioeconomic
class of the residents. By this time, upper class and many middle class American citizens
could afford an automobile, and its prominence was reflected in the built environment of
the district in the presence of garages.
The overall architectural character of the district remained intact during and after World
War II, with the bulk of the remaining construction occurring in the postwar period. The
majority of these later houses were built in the typical midcentury residential styles, with
Cape Cod Revival and Ranch style houses appearing in the survey area as remaining lots
were filled in. These styles are particularly prominent on Niagara Street near the hospital,
as this part of the survey area experienced a new wave of development activity during the
mid-twentieth century. Most of the small single family houses in this portion of the survey
area were built in these midcentury styles, with only small variations in terms of
ornamental details, building materials, size and massing to accommodate different
numbers of occupants.
The Degraff Memorial Hospital underwent several more phases of construction in the midtwentieth century as well, continually expanding to accommodate new patients,
procedures and technology. Funded entirely by LeGrand DeGraff, the hospital was first
built by architect Leon Gray in 1914, on land donated by the Sweeney Estate. New wings
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and additions were constructed in 1930, 1944, 1953, 1956 and 1964.91 As the hospital
expanded to meet the healthcare needs of the Tonawandas, the area immediately
surrounding the hospital also filled in with residential properties. This is particularly
evident on Niagara Street south of the hospital, where the majority of the houses reflect
midcentury architectural styles.
With nearly all of the properties in the survey area developed by the late 1950s, the
physical fabric of the neighborhood remained somewhat stable through this time. Today
the area’s major instructions such as the DeGraff Memorial Hospital, NAME Library, and
Herschel Carousel Museum still anchor this overwhelmingly residential area. Many of the
area’s larger residential buildings attest to the prominent wealth of the lumber industry
during the nineteenth century, and its early to mid twentieth century residences attest to
the later settlement of the area by middle class citizens. While some buildings suffer from
disrepair or neglect today, overall the architectural fabric of the area attests to its historical
development as a late nineteenth to mid-twentieth century grouping of primarily
residential architecture.
HISTORIC MAP ANALYSIS
A number of historic maps show landscape features, buildings, property boundaries, road
alignments and development trends in the survey area. Maps generated between 1849 and
1966 were consulted for this study. These maps include the 1841 Burr Map of Niagara
County (Map 1), 1849 Hall and Mooney Subdivision of Tracts In the Village of Tonawanda
(Map 2), 1852 Gifford Map of Niagara County, NY (Map 3), 1860 Map of Niagara and
Orleans Counties, NY (Map 4), 1875 Beers Niagara and Orleans County Atlas (Map 5), 1893
Hopkins Atlas of City of North Tonawanda (Map 6), and 1908 Map of North Tonawanda
(Map 8). The 1886, 1889, 1893, 1910 (Map 9), and 1951 Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps were
also consulted, as well as the 1900, 1953 and 1966 United States Geological Survey 7.5
Minute Quadrangles (Maps 7, 10 and 11).
The 1841 Burr Map of Niagara County was created about a decade after the Erie Canal was
opened (Map 1). The survey area within the present-day city of North Tonawanda is
located within the boundaries identified as Wheatfield on this map. This map shows the
Holland Land Company’s original lots, including Lots 80, 81 and 82, owned by the Sweeney
family at this time. The Buffalo and Niagara Falls railroad is visible on this map, running
through lots 80 and 81 parallel to the Niagara River. The Erie Canal is also depicted,
running parallel to the railroad to Tonawanda Creek.
91
“Hospital History,” DeGraf Memorial Hospital, web accessed
https://www.kaleidahealth.org/degraff/visitors/history.asp
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The 1849 Hall and Mooney Subdivision of Tracts In the Village of Tonawanda (Map 2) is the
first map available to identify streets in the survey area. It is also the first known map to
label the survey area as the Village of Tonawanda, Niagara County. At this time, the
Sweeney lot 81 was subdivided into smaller lots, although not all of these lots are labeled
with corresponding numbers on this map. Approximately six lots were located on each
block between several streets identified in the western portion of lot 81. The streets
located within the survey area are identified with Oliver and Vandervoort running northsouth, and Sweeney, Tremont, Goundry and Emslie running east-west. Emslie was
essentially a path running along the north side of the state ditch, and this is not represented
by a street existing today, although in some places it is near Christiana Street. Small alleys
are also depicted running north-south between lots on the blocks between Tremont and
Goundry as well, but these do not exist today. The lots to the east or north of Vandervoort
do not appear to be significantly subdivided at this time. To the south, a small dock appears
along Tonawanda Creek and the Erie Canal near Sweeney and Oliver Streets. The Buffalo &
Niagara Falls Railroad still runs generally north-south through the west portion of lot 81,
outside the survey area, along Webster Street.
The 1852 Gifford Map of Niagara County, NY (Map 3) is the first map available to show
individual buildings and some property owner names. By this time, the area’s settlement
was most dense in the southwestern portion of the survey area and areas immediately to
the west, in the blocks between Sweeney Street and Goundry Street and between Oliver
and Vandervoort Street, where several residences were clustered together. While this map
does not indicate street names, the street layout in the blocks along Tonawanda Creek
correspond to the 1849 map. This map does not identify details about the buildings or
their function. To the north and east, where lots likely remained much larger in size, a few
property owners are also listed. James Sweeney’s house appears to the north of the rail
line in the lower third of lot 82. W. Vandevoort’s house also appears. The area north of
Goundry Street is labeled as Sweeney’s Estate on this map. The railroad still appears along
Webster Street running north-south, with an additional railroad branch heading northeast
to the north of the survey area. The New York State Ditch appears in the survey area
running to the south. The area north of Goundry Street appears largely undeveloped at this
time, with the remainder of the Sweeny lots in the survey area occupying large spaces with
multiple trees that may have been used as farmland or a source of lumber.
The 1860 Map of Niagara and Orleans Counties, NY (Map 4) details the boundaries of lots
and their ownership, which is becoming increasingly dense in the southeast portion of the
survey area at this time. Within the boundaries of the survey area, the development
appears most dense in the blocks between Sweeney and Goundry Street, heading east from
Oliver Street towards Payne Avenue. Payne Avenue appears on this map but is not yet
labeled by name. No streets have yet been laid between Vandervoort Street and Payne
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Avenue. The lots sizes between these blocks are still substantially large in comparison to
those east of Oliver Street. Only about 28 buildings are located between Oliver and Payne
Avenue, between Goundry and Sweeney Street at this time. Names affiliated with these
buildings include the Vandervoort family, the Warren family, and the Jacobs family. Mrs.
Sweeney is affiliated with two buildings just east of Payne Street near Goundry Street at
this time, and another building affiliated with J. Sweeney’s Estate is located to the
northwest of the survey area. The map’s directory indicates the professions of some of
these residents. For instance, Daniel Jacobs was a butcher and W. Jacobs was a New York
City Rail Road foreman. Most of the professions of these residents were working or middle
class at this time. However, those located on larger lots to the south, such as S. Huntly who
was a Justice of the Peace, were of a higher station. Notably, the south portion of the survey
area, south of Sweeney Street, included two steam mills and a black smith shop by this
time. The NYC Railroad and the State Ditch still crosses the survey area at this time as well.
The 1875 Beers Niagara and Orleans County Atlas (Map 5) indicates the further subdivision
of lots along with the presence of additional buildings. Compared with the 1860 map, the
1875 map demonstrates the general movement of the development activity is heading
north of Goundry Street at this time. Payne Street appear on this map, running from
Sweeney to north of Robinson Street. The lot size to the west of Vandervoort Street appears
significantly smaller, usually at least half the size, than some of the lots to the east. A
building affiliated with the Sweeney Estate is located between Tremont Street and Goundry
Street east of Payne Avenue, on a very large lot. A small portion of Christiana Street has
been laid out between Vandervoort and Payne, with Grant and Lincoln Street beginning to
run north from Christiana Street as well. Only one building has been built in this block by
this time. Thompson Street, Schenck Street and Robinson Street appear, but little
subdivision has occurred in these blocks by this time. The area east of Payne Street is still
largely undeveloped, with only the Sweeney estate residence and the C. Kuggel residence in
this portion of the survey area. Mill Street now appears at the east edge of the survey area,
later renamed Division Street. Notably, the cemetery appears at the corner of Payne and
Thompson Street by this time. Multiple rail lines cross the survey area by this time. A rail
yard appears on the west side of Payne between Thompson and Christiana Street, where it
will remain for several decades.
The 1893 Hopkins Atlas of City of North Tonawanda (Map 6) indicates the increased density
of development in the survey area. This development is overwhelmingly residential, with
dwellings appearing on regularly divided lots on each block stretching as far north as
Robinson Street by this time. Most of the dwellings are constructed of frame, although a
few larger brick or stone dwellings do appear, typically in the southern portion of the
survey area. While many buildings had been constructed by this time, empty subdivided
lots do remain in the survey area, particularly in the northeast corner between Robinson
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and Christiana running east from Bryant Street. James Sweeney owns a very large lot
occupying most of the block between Schenk Street and Robison Street, Niagara Street and
Sweeney Park, owned by James Sweeney, occupies the area between Schenck Street and
Christiana Street between Niagara Street and Division Street. Extensive railroads cross the
area, and the State Ditch still exists at this time. Whiting Street first appears on this map
although there is virtually no development on the east side of this street by 1908.
The 1900 USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map (Map 7) depicts the survey area with street
layout and some buildings. The rail tracks, state ditch and canal figure prominently in this
map, crossing the survey area. Robinson Street extends across the northern boundary of
the survey area, extending east to Division Street. The east portion of the survey area is far
less developed than the west portion by this time, where buildings line streets particularly
in the southwest portion.
The 1908 Map of North Tonawanda (Map 8) depicts the survey area as a primarily
residential area in the early twentieth century. The map details building construction
materials and lot ownership. Most of the lots in the survey area contain frame dwellings,
some even with a small shed or garage by this time, but a few brick or stone dwellings also
appear. Multiple brick institutional buildings also appear in the survey area by this time,
including schools, libraries, churches and community centers. The south portion of the
survey area along Sweeney Street and the Tonawanda Creek contain a few industrial
businesses by this time, including the Herschell-Spillman Co, the Niagara Motor Boat Co,
and several small docks. Railroads run through the area, including the Erie Railroad, the
Batavia Branch, and multiple lines owned by the NYCRR. A frame rail station was located
near Oliver and Christiana Streets, and larger rail depots were located outside the survey
area to the north and west. By this time, most of the survey area was developed, with only
a substantial amount of land remaining to the east. All of the undeveloped land along the
west edge of Division Street belongs to James Sweeney, as well as the sizeable area of
Sweeney Park.
The 1910 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map (Map 9) depicts the survey area with detail
regarding lot sizes, building form and materials. The sample from this detailed map
included below in Map 9 indicates the variety in lot sizes that still existed in the survey area
at this time, before larger estates were subdivided to accommodate middle class dwellings.
Map 9 illustrates the combination of larger estate lots with grand dwellings on Goundry
Street, adjacent to smaller dwellings on the same street. The public library is also depicted
by this time, as it was constructed in 1903. The State Ditch still runs across the survey area.
The 1953 USGS 7.5 Minute Quadrangle Map (Map 10) depicts the survey area in the midtwentieth century. By this time the streets have all been laid out and paved in their current
configuration. The hospital, cemetery and park appear on this map, as well as the
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HISTORIC ARCHITECTURAL DEVELOPMENT
As indicated on the historic maps, the survey area was a sparsely settled forested area in
the early nineteenth century before undergoing the development of multiple stages of
subdivisions beginning in the mid-to-late nineteenth century.92 With only a few American
settlers in the early 1800s, the survey area’s population grew gradually at first. James
Sweeney the elder was one of the first settlers to purchase land in the area, and he and his
family acquired about 2/3 of the present-day city of North Tonawanda in 1824, including
the entire survey area. The opening of the Erie Canal in the 1820s, the establishment of rail
networks in the 1840s, and the improvement and extension of multiple shipping networks
by water, rail and road in the 1870s each attracted another wave of residents to the survey
area during the nineteenth century. As new groups of workers, entrepreneurs and upper
class citizens moved to the area, the Sweeney family divided their massive estate in
multiple stages. Each subsequent generation of the Sweeney family subdivided lots for
residential construction, with development generally beginning in the southwest portion of
the survey area and then spreading to the north and east during the late nineteenth
century. The establishment of a new wave of industrial businesses around the turn of the
twentieth century led to another boom in development and new residential construction
during the first two decades of the twentieth century. By the time the property was no
longer directly managed by a descendant of James Sweeney in 1930, much of the
residential construction was complete. Another small wave of development occurred into
the 1950s, particularly along the southeast side of the survey area near Degraff Memorial
Hospital and Pine Woods Park.
Over time, the movement of people into this neighborhood extended north from the north
edge of the Erie Canal and Tonawanda Creek, defining the area’s trends and attitudes
toward architectural design and neighborhood planning. This movement can be traced
through a study of historic maps, specifically in the subdivision of lots and planning of new
roads. The paving of roads, improvements in both public and later automobile
transportation, and the introduction of new businesses and public institutions set the stage
for a boom in real estate development by the Sweeney Estate particularly during the
1900s-1920s. As the primary landholders in North Tonawanda for about 100 years, the
Sweeney estate controlled most of this development. They often sold directly to the
homeowner, or to small-scale developers who would then construct and sell homes on
subdivided lots. The Sweeney Estate also laid roads, installed utilities and planned
communities to be distinctively residential rather than urban. Architectural styles tended
to be in keeping with one another in the area, as several of the same styles tend to appear
throughout the district due to the developers’ imposition of design restrictions.
Architecture in the survey area is overwhelming residential but other building types,
92 The Historic Maps used are documented in the Historic Map Analysis section of this document.
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50
including institutional, ecclesiastic and recreational, were constructed out of necessity to
support these developing subdivisions. The survey area is a rich study in the development
of a rural forested community into a late nineteenth and early twentieth century style
community characteristic of America at this time.
Nineteenth Century Recognizable American Architectural Styles
The significant recognizable nineteenth-century American architectural styles2 represented
in the survey area are Italianate and Queen Anne. Generally, the structures recommended
demonstrate significance for the quality of their architectural design. The styles
represented by buildings in the project area are briefly summarized below.
Italianate
The Italianate style was part of the Picturesque movement. It was a romantic style popular
in the 10 years before the Civil War, and remained popular in New York State through the
Civil War decades into the 1880s. The style was borrowed from the rural architecture of
Northern Italy. Typically the style is characterized by two or three stories; a low-pitched
roof; widely overhanging eaves with decorative brackets; tall, narrow round-headed
windows with hood moldings; bracketed and/or pedimented rectangular crowns; corner
quoins; square cupola, tower or centered gable. In the survey area, the most common
subtype of this style takes an asymmetrical form, typically with an L-shaped massing
formed by a cross gable roof, such as at 169 Vandervoort Street, 334 Payne Avenue and
184 Goundry Street. Other variations on the style appear in the survey area at 107
Falconer Street, where a centered gable is present, and at 277 Oliver Street and 11
Bryant Street which have a typical front gable massing.
Queen Anne
The Queen Anne style was inspired by late Medieval prototypes, and made extravagant use
of complex shapes and elaborate detailing which would have been cost-restrictive prior to
the industrial revolution, mass-production of complex house components, and the advent
of the balloon frame and wire nails. The style was popular during the 1880s- 1890s and is
characterized by steeply pitched roofs of irregular shape, typically with front facing gable
end, asymmetrical plan and massing, and prominent partial or full-width porch, usually
one-story high, often extending along one or both sides. Decorative elements include smallpaned windows, Palladian window motif, door opening with fan and side lights, turned
balusters, intricate latticework, patterned shingles, cut-a-way bay windows and other
devices to avoid a smooth-walled appearance. Spindlework detailing or Eastlake detailing
is often found in porch balustrades, as a frieze suspended from a porch ceiling, in gables
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and under wall overhangs left by cut-a-way window bays. Towers are a common Queen
Anne feature and may be round, square or polygonal, with the square form the least
common. One example of the style is at 257 Goundry Street, where the residence has an
asymmetrical massing with a dominant gable projecting slighting from the exterior façade
below. There is a projecting bay interrupting the front faced and extending upward until it
meets the gable. Also typical of the Queen Anne style is the polygonal tower just behind the
front corner that rises from the ground level. Another interpretation of the style is at 238
Tremont Street, where the asymmetrical massing features two front gables, with fishscale
shingles and clapboard siding providing an alternation of textures between each story.
Workers’ Cottage
The workers’ cottage is a significant house type because of its wide popularity in American
urban and semi-urban areas during the second half of the nineteenth century and early
twentieth century. Additionally, it is considered one of the first forms of fully industrialized
housing for working-class Americans. The social and economic benefits that accompany
the Worker’s Cottage style are also reflected in its architectural design. During this period,
it was typical for factory owners to invest in adjacent lands, constructing housing for their
workers. Workers then had the opportunity to purchase the house and the lot. While there
is no clear evidence that companies directly constructed these cottages in the survey area,
their presence is indicative of the time and values of their construction in this style.
Architecturally, many of these houses would take the form of the modest one-story shotgun
cottage. These modest buildings incorporated many of the most advanced technological
and planning ideas of its era. Machined components included doors, windows, casings,
hardware and decorative detailing, as well as standardized components for wood
structural and material finishing systems. The most common form for this typology is a
one-story front gabled residence with an offset entry, sometimes with a full width porch.
Examples of this can be seen in the survey area at 328 Oliver Street, where verge board
adorns the roof, at 7 East Oliver Street where turned spindles support the porch, and at
315 Falconer Street, a gabled example with hipped roof porch. The survey area also
contains some examples of one-and-a-half to two- story variations as well, including those
at 182 Lincoln Ave, 286 Bryant Street and 351 Bryant Street.
Late nineteenth century cottages were typically expanded and transformed in the early
twentieth century, leading to their appearance filling in smaller remaining lots in the early
twentieth century as well.
Twentieth Century Recognizable American Architectural Styles
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The last decade of the nineteenth century saw European-trained architects designing
houses for wealthy patrons, evoking correct historical interpretations of European styles.
Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893 furthered this emphasis on period styles. These
eclectic styles include Colonial Revival, American Foursquare, Craftmsan/Bungalow,
French Eclectic, Tudor Revival, and Post WW2 Standardized Neighborhood Vernacular
styles. These were among the most popular during the first two decades of the twentiethcentury. Other recognizable American architectural styles represented during the early
decades of the twentieth-century in the survey area are the Foursquare, Craftsman,
Bungalow, and Prairie style houses. A small amount of residential buildings date from the
post-war period, including midcentury Ranch styles. Generally, the styles are represented
by residential, educational and ecclesiastic buildings. The structures recommended
demonstrate significance for the quality of their architectural design. The styles
represented by buildings in the survey area are briefly summarized below.
Colonial Revival
The Colonial Revival style was the dominant style for domestic architecture during the first
half of the twentieth century. As it is used here it refers to a revival in the interest of early
Dutch and English (Georgian and Adam styles) houses from the Atlantic seaboard. The
Centennial Exhibition of 1876 and the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893 sparked a renewed
interest in colonial architecture and the colonial period in general. In the last two decades
of the nineteenth century, the Colonial Revival influenced the Queen Anne style, producing
classical details such as Palladian windows. A number of publications including The
American Architect and Building News and Ladies Home Journal promoted the style to both
the professional and private sector. Typically the style tends to be eclectic with the free
combination from two or more of these early precedents. Common elements associated
with the style include regular massing, symmetrically balanced facades, embellishment of
front entrances with pedimented porches and classical surrounds, multi-light double hung
wood sash, brick or wood clapboard walls and gabled roof dormers.
Several examples of the Colonial Revival style can be found in the survey area, ranging from
grand mansions from the early twentieth century to more modest incarnations of the style
from later decades. An early example of the style is located at 249 Goundry Street,
constructed c. 1894 for George C. Dailey, one of the first presidents of State National Bank.
The five-bay center entrance design features a rare foundation of quarry-faced granite
blocks with clapboard on the floors above. An usual approach to the style is expressed in
the polygonal porch with smooth Tuscan columns, which achieves an atypical
asymmetrical effect for the typically symmetrical Colonial Revival style. The imposing
mansion at 373 Goundry Street is a later, textbook example of the Colonial Revival style,
designed by architect Louis Eggers for Farny Wurlitzer in 1917. The symmetrical façade is
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framed by pilasters at the corner, with a prominent two-story projecting portico with
slender colossal columns supporting a pediment containing an oculus. A more modestlysized, later example of the style is at 26 Louisa Parkway. This side gabled residence
presents a symmetrical, three-bays wide façade to the street, sheathed in clapboard. The
eight-over-eight wood sash windows are indicative of the style, and the entry door is
framed by fluted Tuscan pilasters topped by an entablature of six triglyphs.
Another variation of the Colonial Revival style is the Dutch Colonial Revival interpretation,
derived from the Dutch Colonial farmhouse of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
featured a gambrel roof, with flared eaves and multi-light double-hung sash. An override
shed dormer across the length of the house was common, providing height and light to the
upper story. Elements of the Dutch Colonial Revival style can be found at houses like 9
Louisa Parkway, which combines the side gabled gambrel roof of the Dutch Colonial
Revival style with a prominent front-gabled entry that evokes the Tudor style. The
generous gambrel roof allows for a full second story on this modest frame dwelling,
proving more space than is immediately apparent from the street. Another typical example
is located at 291 Tremont Street where a gambrel roof faces the street above a full width
enclosed porch under a front gable.
American Foursquare
The American Foursquare style refers more to a massing typology than it does to a stylistic
ornamental language. American Foursquare houses are defined by cubic massing, hipped
roofs, overhanging eaves, dormers, and full width-front porches. The ornament can
reference Craftsman, Prairie or Colonial Revival styles. The style first appeared in ca.1890,
and was promoted by builder’s magazines and catalogue companies who sold house ‘kits’
The simplified ornamental language gave the buildings a clean, dignified appearance, which
appealed to the budget and aesthetic sensibilities of the modern homeowner. The simple
massing lent itself to a variety of cladding materials including brick, stucco, clapboard and
shingle. The style is prevalent throughout the survey area. Good hipped roof examples
include 227 Bryant Street and 203 Christiana Street, which has a hipped roof with
hipped dormers, and a hipped roof with square wood columns on a full width fist story
porch, and at 48 Falconer Street, where the enclosed porch retains original vertical 3-
over-3 wood sash windows. Gabled variations are also common, evidenced at 216 Bryant
Street and 103 Falconer Street.
Craftsman & Bungalow
The Craftsman style was popular between 1905 through the early 1920s. The style was
inspired by the Greene brothers who designed simple Craftsman-style bungalows in
Pasadena, California. Influences on this style include the English Arts and Crafts Movement
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(particularly in America the philosophy of Gustav Stickley) and an interest in oriental
wooden structures. The style was promoted in periodicals such as Western Architecture,
House Beautiful, Good Housekeeping, Architectural Record, Ladies Home Journal, and The
Craftsman magazine. The style was also relatively easy to build, typically with a small
rectangular massing. The style is characterized by low-pitched, gabled roofs; hipped roofs;
wide, unenclosed eave overhangs and exposed rafters; decorative beams or knee braces
beneath overhangs; full or partial width porches with square-tapered columns that
sometimes extend to the ground level. The exterior wall is sometimes broken up by the use
of different materials. Dormers are common, with exposed rafters and braces. One story
vernacular examples are called the Bungaloid or Bungalow style. There is an extensive
sampling of this style in the survey area ranging from a few large scale designs to more
common modest builder/developer standardized types. Craftsman examples include the
residences at 257 Tremont Street, 453 Goundry Street and 223 Christiana Street. In
the latter example, the style is applied in a side gable roof with front gable dormer, with an
enclosed front porch with central entry between broad square columns. Exposed rafter
tails are a typical motif present on this example.
Bungalow styles are also present in the survey area, including the example at 19 Pine
Woods Drive which features a hipped roof and dormer with overhanging eaves and rafter
tails. At 455 Goundry Street, a sloping side gable roof with overhanging eaves is topped
with a prominent front gable dormer with wood braces. Decorative sash windows and an
offset entry with side lights under a front gable with paired column supports complete the
primary façade. The Bungalow style is also very versatile as it makes it possible to
incorporate other styles in the decorative traits of the building. The house at 262
Christiana Street, for instance, incorporates Colonial details on the exterior, such as
decorative touches seen in the columns, frieze and pediments.
Tudor Revival
In the early twentieth century, architects looked to the traditions of the late-sixteenth and
early-seventeenth-century English architectural traditions. In a reaction to the Industrial
Revolution, similar to the Arts and Crafts movement, designers were looking for a more
honest expression of materials, craftsmanship and form. Common elements of these Late
Medieval prototypes included in the revival style are asymmetrical massing, a steeply
pitched gable roof, multi-light casement windows and massive chimneys. Brick and stucco
clad walls with decorative half-timbering typically complete the composition. A brick
example is located at 268 Christiana Street, with an asymmetrical cross gable massing
distinguished by a steeply sloping front gable over the primary entrance. Another good
example of the style can be seen at 210 Niagara Street, built in 1929 for insurance agent
Evan M. Davies. This two-story cross-gabled house maintains an original slate roof, one of
few left in North Tonawanda. A variety of materials were used on the primary elevation to
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achieve an overall picturesque effect indicative of the style, with stucco as the principal
material, brick for the recessed front entrance and chimney, and clapboard in the upper
section under the front gable. The tall narrow windows are grouped in bands, as are the
original steel frame windows with leaded casements.
French Eclectic
The French Eclectic style was a romantic, picturesque style that looked to elements of
domestic buildings in the northwestern regions of France. The style was popular in the
1920s and 1930s in suburban residential developments and private estates as it evoked a
sensibility of country estate living. The style typically incorporated a prominent steeply
pitched hip roof, casement windows, tall chimneys, masonry or stucco cladding and hip
roofed dormers. Although the style is not common in the survey area, one prominent
example is the residence at 202 Niagara Street. Constructed in 1929 for George
Richardson, this large cross-gabled house features a round stucco-clad main entrance
tower capped by a conical roof, typical of the style. Diamond pane windows in he tower and
small half-timbered dormers further accentuate the style, with the use of clinker bricks on
the exterior heightening the picturesque effect.
Post World War II Standardized Neighborhood
After World War II, and in response to the GI Bill 93, a number of neighborhoods were
constructed that exhibited a standardized site-plan, and articulation designed to
accommodate anew middle-class suburbia. The residences tended to be small,
approximately 1000 square-feet, single-story or one-and-one-half story cubic or
rectangular structures with a uniform setback, and broad expanse of lawn. The result was a
dynamic rhythm along the street, broken only by the change of entrance located from
center to side. Often a simple, cubic garage is located to the rear or attached to the side of
the house. Picture windows, hipped roofs and metal awning supports are common in the
typology. The residence as a single unit is not significant and is outside the period of
significance for the proposed district’s significance in association with the Sweeeney Estate
before 1930. It is the repetition of a standardized type on a street with similar setbacks,
sidewalks, landscaping and relation of driveway to entry, and entrance path that is
significant. Examples in the survey area at 276 Tremont Street and 343 Christiana Street
exhibit characteristics of the uniformly planned, post-World War II standardized type.
93 Officially titled the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, the GI Bill provided college or vocational education
for World War II veterans, as well as providing low interest, zero down payment home loans backed by the
Veteran’s Administration. This allowed people to move out of urban rental units into a suburban home.
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SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY OF RESOURCES
Total Historic Resources Totals
Buildings: 1170
Districts: 1 (identified for nomination in this report)
Other (parks, gates) 3
Historic Resource Type Totals
Residential 1139
Commercial 17
Educational (Schools) 1
Religious (churches, etc) 8
Transportation (station, rail) 1
Industrial (factories etc) 0
Civic (fire station etc) 3
Landscape (cemetery, park) 2
National Register Status Totals
NRE 2
NRL 3
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Survey Area Overview Map
For detailed views of the survey area, see Appendix 4.
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The entire survey area was a predominantly forested, rural community during the early
nineteenth-century. After the construction of the Erie Canal in the 1820s and the
installation of new transportation networks along waterways and railroads into the 1850s,
the original Sweeney Estate lots 81 and 82 were gradually subdivided for multiple stages of
development, beginning with those managed by James Sweeney the elder. At first, building
tended to occur in the south and west portions of the survey area, due to its proximity to
the canal and Tonawanda Creek as well as rail lines. Only a few roads in the survey area
were laid by the mid-nineteenth century, including Oliver Street, Vandervoort Street,
Sweeney Street and Goundry Street.
By the 1870s and 1880s, settlement patterns shifted in the survey area due to an increase
in population catalyzed by the installation of more extensive transportation networks,
public utilities, and a booming lumber industry in the vicinity. A number of upper and
upper middle class families began to purchase lots that the Sweeney family estate, now
managed by James Sweeney 2nd, subdivided from their larger land holdings piece by piece.
At first, these lot were relatively large and accommodated a upper or upper-middle class
residence that reflected the economic success of North Tonawanda during the late
nineteenth century. In the survey area, these residences were located mostly between
Oliver, Goundry, Sweeney and Payne Streets. As North Tonawanda’s lumber industry
experienced a major boom into the 1890s, the Sweeney Estate was further subdivided to
accommodate a slightly more diverse population. By this time, lots were subdivided to a
smaller size, yet still enough to accommodate a dignified middle class residence.
Accompanied by advancements in transportation via waterways and railroads, these new
settlement patterns enabled citizens to live in a residential area away from major
industries and still commute to work, school or other institutions.
As James Sweeney Jr. began to take over the family business around the turn of the
twentieth century, the pace and density of development increased in the survey area.
Following in his ancestor’s footsteps, Sweeney Jr. attracted new industries to the area and
donated land for parks and institutions to serve the community he intended to cultivate.
Sweeney Jr laid out several new roads in the north portion of the survey area and
subdivided the land into lots for the construction of houses that were designed to be
affordable by the middle and middle-upper classes. The formerly forested landscape
defined was becoming defined by a pattern of roads and housing lots that developers laid
out as they bought more land from Sweeney Jr., constructed more roads and marketed to a
middle-class homeowner. In 1917, Sweeney Jr. sold one of the last sections of undeveloped
land in the survey area, then known as Sweeney Park, to the City of North Tonawanda. It
then became a suburban style development known today as Pine Woods Park. This
development pattern continued, managed and owned by the Sweeney family, until
Sweeney Jr. died in 1929.
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Today, the resources in the north and southwest part of the survey area are the most
threatened. These areas have suffered from neglect, disrepair and/or dilapidation as a
result of disinvestment in the community due to broader demographic changes. There are
also cultural resources that are not in danger of being demolished, however inappropriate
alterations to, or replacement of historic material fabric will compromise their integrity.
The survey area in general has a rich collection of architectural resources that contribute to
an understanding of the area’s growth, and an understanding of a century of American
settlement patterns overall. This survey has identified 713 potentially significant resources
that define the area physically and historically. The following recommendations suggest
various tools designed to protect and enhance these resources:
1. Designate historic districts and local landmarks.
The City of North Tonawanda’s Historic Preservation Commission is a CLG that provides for
the identification, designation and protection of historic resources. The Historic
Preservation Ordinance from Chapter 51 of the City Code provides an added level of
protection that will delay and possibly prevent the demolition of these resources.94 The
current survey identified individual properties that have been determined to be National
Register Eligible and National Register Listed. Designating these properties as Local
Landmarks would further their protection.
The ordinance also provides that the Historic Preservation Commission will review plans
for the alteration, construction, removal, or demolition of a landmark, and improvement to
a landmark site, or a structure within a historic district before a Certificate of
Appropriateness is issued. For this reason it is imperative that the Historic Preservation
Commission designate resources identified as local landmarks, specifically the resources
identified since this will help preserve the character defining features of the area. There is
sufficient information regarding the history of the Sweeney Estate and of the development
of the survey area in this document, which when combined with the patterns of
development identified in the current survey suggests that at least a portion of this area
could be designated as a district or a series of local landmarks with a minimal amount of
effort.
The Historic Preservation Commission should consider thematic designation of individual
resources that are linked architecturally and/or historically. The survey recommends the
National Register listing of the Sweeney Estate Historic District identified in this survey.
This district contains many streets that were once part of the Sweeney Estate and emerged
as part of the same multigenerational history of development, as detailed in this document.
As the overall historic development patterns and architectural styles are very similar on all
94 To read this chapter in detail, it can be found here: https://ecode360.com/13624615
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of these streets, the boundaries of this recommended district have been drawn to coincide
with the greatest conglomeration of resources with a good to high level of architectural
integrity in terms of their existing conditions today.
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Proposed boundaries for nomination of the Sweeney Estate Historic District to the
National Register of Historic Places
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Use the information and research from this survey to complete National Register
Nomination Forms.
This document has identified both National Register Eligible and National Register Listed
properties. In addition, it has resulted in the identification of one potential historic district
that is recommended for nomination to the National Register. This district has been
identified and bounded by its historic context as well as the architectural integrity of the
existing conditions. Within these boundaries, properties color-coded blue and green are
considered to be contributing properties, whereas those coded yellow are considered noncontributing. This color-coding applies to the architectural integrity of the existing
conditions of each building, and is designed to be a tool for analyzing large amounts of data
on a map in order to view and identify the boundaries of the recommended districts at a
large scope.
Based on the historic research and fieldwork conducted regarding existing conditions in
the entire survey area, this report recommends the nomination of one historic district
identified for its significance and integrity according to the National Register Criteria for
Evaluation. Taking account of both the existing conditions evident in the color-coded maps
and the overall historic context shared amongst each street, the Sweeney Estate Historic
District was identified as recommended for National Register listing.
The boundaries of this district have been drawn in order to most closely reflect the
strongest grouping of architectural integrity as surveyed by their existing conditions. Each
of these streets contained within this district emerged from a similar historic context of
settlement patterns between 1824-1930, historically distinguished only by different
generations of development by the Sweeney family on the grounds of the original Sweeney
Estate. Each of the streets in this district today appears relatively similar in architectural
style, feeling and association as an example of mostly late-nineteenth to early-twentiethcentury development patterns. In this sense, the boundaries have been drawn in order to
contain the densest cluster of high quality architectural integrity in the historically unified
area today.
This recommended district was identified in relation to National Register Criteria for
Eligibility as well as the criteria put forth in the National Register Bulletin entitled Historic
Residential Suburbs: Guidelines for Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register
of Historic Places. The Bulletin defines a historic suburban residential district as:
A geographic area that was historically connected to the city by
one or more modes of transportation; subdivided and
developed primarily for residential use according to a plan;
and possessing a significant concentration, linkage and
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continuity of dwellings on small parcels of land, roads and
streets, utilities and community facilities.95
According to these principles, the Sweeney Estate Historic District can be classified as a
historic suburban residential district by this definition. The Bulletin also clarifies that
while a suburban district may be outside the official boundaries of the central city, it is
defined by this pattern of suburban development more so than the past or present legal
boundaries of the city. Following this, the recommended district evolved as suburban-style
development even though it is technically inside the official city boundaries today.
The district recommended in the present survey was identified for its historic significance
in the context of the National Register criteria for Historic Residential Suburbs as put forth
in that bulletin. The bulletin states several determinations that must be made in order to
consider National Register eligibility in this context, identifying the following:
How the district illustrates an important aspect of America’s
suburbanization, and reflects the growth and historic
development of...where it is located and
Whether the district possesses 1) physical features
characterizing it as a historic residential suburb and 2)
attributes of historic integrity conveying its association with
important historic events or representing significant aspects of
its historic design.96
In applying these considerations to the survey area, the Sweeney Estate Historic District
emerged as part of the recommendations portion of the survey. Using color-coded maps in
conjunction with photography, fieldwork and the historic research outlined in the Historic
Overview portion of this document, the survey identified this district as an area that
maintains sufficient architectural integrity to convey the history of its development as
individual residential subdivisions within the broader context of the settlement patterns
that occurred in this part of North Tonawanda during 1824-1930. Following these
guidelines, this district maintains the physical features and historic associations required
to satisfy the criteria outlined by the bulletin and the National Register Criteria for
Eligibility. Significant under Criterion A for Settlement Patterns and Criterion C for
Architecture, this district is a good example of the history of residential suburban-style
subdivisions in North Tonawanda during a period of intense development from about
1824-1930.
95 David Ames and Linda Flint McClelland, National Register Bulletin: Historic Residential Suburbs, Guidelines for
Evaluation and Documentation for the National Register of Historic Places (Washington, DC: National Park
Service, September 2002), 4.
96 Ames and McClelland, 7.
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The Sweeney Estate Historic District is bounded by Division Street to the west,
Vandervoort Street to the east (100-195 Vandervoort), the south side of Thompson Street
to the north, and Tremont Street to the south (201-401; 196-480 Tremont Street). These
boundaries reflect the strongest collection of resources with significant architectural
integrity remaining today within the historic boundaries of the area originally purchased
by James Sweeney the elder in 1824. Developed in pieces over several generations of
management and ownership by the Sweeney family estate, this district was home to some
of North Tonawanda’s wealthiest residents by the late nineteenth century, and they were
joined by middle class citizens in the early twentieth century. The boundaries do not
contain many commercial properties, as these properties reflect a different architectural
style, function and historic context that is distinct from the overwhelmingly residential
style of development that occurred between these streets. This proposed district contains
421 properties, with 338 contributing (color-coded green and blue) and 83 noncontributing properties (color-coded yellow). This district contains some of the oldest
buildings in the survey area, mostly dating from the 1870s-1930. The majority of the
properties were constructed before 1930 and today exhibit a largely intact cohesive
collection of architectural residences including those built in the Worker’s Cottage,
Italianate, Queen Anne, Tudor Revival, Bungalow/Craftsman, American Foursquare and
Colonial Revival styles. The district also includes significant landscapes, such as Sweeney
Cemetery and Pine Woods Park, both historically part of the original Sweeney Estate.
There may be sufficient historic research completed in this survey to nominate additional
properties and districts to the National Register as recommended. It should be noted that
not all local landmarks are National Register eligible.
2. Comply with State and National Historic Preservation Laws
This survey report provides an excellent resource to expedite NYS-OPRHP review for stateand federally-funded rehabilitation projects and projects that trigger a Section 106, or
SEQRA review. Laws governing the review process are:
Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended, directs federal
agencies to consider historic resources in their project planning. New York State has a
parallel law for state agencies in Section 14.09 of the State Historic Preservation Act of
1980. Local environmental review for municipalities was initiated under the State
Environmental Quality Review At (SEQRA) of 1974.
3. Develop programs for public education and to promote awareness of the value
and treatment of historic resources.
The attitude the public has concerning the area’s cultural resources, including their own
property, is vital if the integrity of those resources is to be maintained. An informed public
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makes better decisions. There are a number of approaches to increasing a community’s
awareness regarding the town’s historic resources including:
• Preservation Workshops: historic window repair, masonry/mortar,
water problems, wood siding and so on;
• Neighborhood walking tours that provide a history of the areas
development;
• Public Meetings and Presentations: people are often unaware of the
history in their own backyard;
• Co-ordinate efforts with the Amherst Museum: exhibits, workshops,
presentations
• Interactive website with a comprehensive town history, historic
resources, programs, linked to National Parks resources. Most people
just “Google” it.
• All of the above but at the grade school level. A lot of schools have
“expedition” learning programs that look for inexpensive ways to expand
the learning experience.
4. Investigate Archaeological Resources
The topography and settlement patterns in the area suggest a medium to high sensitivity
for Archaeological resources (historic and prehistoric). This information is vital in
preservation planning, land-use planning and development.
5. Use Property Database and GIS color-coded maps supplementing this
document to facilitate communication with other town boards and
committees.
As a final component of the survey, each historic resource was mapped in GIS, and linked to
a photograph with information including address; year built; contributing/noncontributing structures in districts; Local Historic Landmark Status; and National Register
eligibility/listing data where applicable. The property database table, photographs and
maps can be used as preservation planning tools and are intended to provide a survey of
the area for future consideration.
Survey Area Overview
The earliest phase of development occurred in the mid-nineteenth century, after James
Sweeney the elder purchased lots 81 and 82 in 1824. Prior to this time, the area was very
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sparsely settled and consisted mostly of forest. As shipping networks improved on the Erie
Canal, Tonawanda Creek and Niagara River as well as the installation of railroads in the
1840s, the forested area gave way to a blossoming lumber industry. In the survey area,
properties near Oliver Street and Vandervoort Street between Sweeney Street and Goundry
Street were some of the first to be established.
Over the next few decades and into the 1870s, more streets were laid out in anticipation of
a boom in construction following the success of the lumber industry and more extensive
transportation networks. Sweeney the elder’s son, James Sweeney 2nd extended the
borders of development at this time to Robinson Street and Payne Street. While these
streets were laid out by 1875, historic maps and records indicate that most of the land in
this area was still not throughout subdivided and sold as individual lots until the 1880s. By
1893, most of this subdivision of lots had occurred in and about 2/3 of the houses has been
constructed in the survey area by this time. The area east of Bryant, however, had been
subdivided but not much construction had occurred in the east portion of the survey area
by this time. Some large estates still remained east of Niagara at this time, as well as
Sweeney Park.
As the lumber industry boomed in the late nineteenth century, some of North Tonawanda’s
wealthiest citizens constructed their houses in the survey area. Large mansions lined
Goundry and Christiana Streets in particular, built in styles popular at the time such as
Queen Anne and Colonial Revival. Around the turn of the century, these larger residences
were peppered with smaller houses built for middle class residents, who filled in the
survey area as development spread to the north and west. The addition of Pine Woods
Park in 1917, purchased from the Sweeney estate, led to another round of development in
the east portion of the survey area in the following decades. By the late 1920s, many of the
houses had been constructed in the survey area, which contained a mix of middle and
upper class residents at that time.
Following the death of James Sweeney 2nd in 1929, the management of the remaining
Sweeney property passed into new hands, not directly managed by the family descendants,
beginning in 1930. This marked a new era for the survey area, as it was no longer directly
related to the Sweeney estate but to a new corporation, James Sweeney Properties, Inc,
henceforth until the mid-twentieth century. Another wave of development occurred after
this time, stretching into the 1950s as the remaining available lots in the southeast portion
of the survey area were filled in, mostly near the Degraff Memorial Hospital, along Niagara
Street.
Non-Residential Properties
While the area is overwhelmingly residential, a number of non-residential properties arose
to serve the needs of this residential population over time. The earliest buildings affiliated
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with the earliest nineteenth century phase of settlement in the survey area have been
demolished to make way for the more substantial, denser style of development that
occurred in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Many of the churches in the
survey area were constructed in the YEAR, and thus appear in the next section. Some civic
buildings are present in the district, including the National Register listed Carnegie
Library (1903; NR 95NR00867) and United States Post Office (1912, 90NR01972). A fire
station is located at 71 Vandervoort Street (1957). The Grant School at 25 Grant Street
is an elementary school that was constructed in 1953 to serve the community’s educational
needs. The property was determined Not Eligible, and an inventory form for the property is
on file at the NYS-OPRHP (USN 06341.000495).
Residential Properties
The majority of the survey area is defined primarily by residential development, and most
of the late nineteenth and early twentieth-century residences in this area were built from
the 1880s-1920s in modest or large forms of the Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Craftsman
or American Foursquare style. Many of the buildings are significant for their contribution
to North Tonawanda’s architectural history, as this area was integral to the establishment
of settlement patterns in the city. Larger residences were constructed for wealthy citizens,
many affiliated with the lumber industry, primarily along the major east-west streets in the
survey area but also along Niagara Street and near Pine Woods Park. High-style examples
include large residences at 249 Goundry Street (c.1890, Colonial Revival), 325 Goundry
Street (C.1893, Queen Anne), 338 Goundry Street (C.1895, Colonial Revival) and 373
Goundry Street (C.1924, Colonial Revival), as well as 126 Christiana Street (C.1890,
Tudor Revival). The area is also peppered with more modest examples of the Craftsman,
Bungalow, American Foursquare and Workers Cottage styles, aimed to suit the historically
middle and working class residents at 257 Tremont Street (C.1910, Craftsman), 262
Christiana Street (1924, Bungalow), 97 Christiana Street (C.1900, American
Foursquare), and 50 Bryant Street (C.1885, Workers Cottage). Many of the residential
properties in the survey area maintain good to excellent architectural integrity,
contributing to the historic context and stylistic character of the proposed district.
Significantly Altered Properties:
Some properties identified in the survey area have been altered and therefore no longer
retain sufficient integrity to be considered a cultural resource. Replacement materials and
windows are generally viewed with leniency only if the original massing and form remains
sufficiently intact enough to convey historic context and style. For instance, the simple
Italianate massing at 395 Falconer Street, was substantially altered by the addition of an
enclosed entry space over a sunken attached garage. Another example can be seen at 41
Reconnaissance Level Survey of Historic Resources Sweeney Estate, City of North Tonawanda
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Bryant Street, where a non-historic porte cochere with metal supports was added to the
side of the house, disrupting the original massing and form.

2019