Buffalo, NY
Pictured is the Bemis/Ransom House, located at 267 North St. Built in 1883, the house was designed by noted architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee, most famous for several iconic buildings in Syracuse, including the Syracuse Savings Bank Building, the Amos Building and the White Memorial Building. Silsbee is also noted for being a mentor to famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, whom he employed in his Chicago office. This home was built for John M. Bemis and his wife, Mary. John was a lumber baron, profiting greatly off of the vast forests in the area. He relocated to Pennsylvania in 1891, selling the home to Thomas Thornton for $70,000 ($1.9 million in 2017 dollars). A wealthy Buffalo businessman in the milling industry, Thomas purchased the house for his daughter, Helen, and son-in-law, Dr. Robert Campbell, a Buffalo physician, whose patients included many of the city’s wealthiest residents. In 1901, Robert and his wife went through a messy divorce – one that was covered intensely by newspapers from Buffalo to New York City. The home remained in Helen’s possession, although she no longer lived there. From 1901 until her estate was settled in 1906 following her death in 1903, the home was occupied by Frank H. Goodyear, who, like the original owner of the home, John Bemis, was highly successful in the lumber industry. He formed a company with his brother, Charles, known as F. H. & C. W. Goodyear Co. (Charles’ home at 888 Delaware Ave was featured in a previous post). In 1906, the executors of Helen Campbell’s estate sold the home to Capt. Joseph T. Jones and his wife, Melodia. Joseph was a Civil War hero who would go on to become a pioneer in the oil and rail industries, accumulating a vast wealth. Melodia would become a philanthropic fixture in Buffalo, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities & educational institutions. The home would remain in the Jones family until 1953, when it was sold to its final residential owner, Philip Ransom, a descendant of one of the earliest settlers of Buffalo. Philip was a Dartmouth grad and World War I veteran who operated a real estate business in Buffalo. Today, 267 North St. is home to Collins & Collins Attorneys.
Buffalo, NY
Pictured is the Bemis/Ransom House, located at 267 North St. Built in 1883, the house was designed by noted architect Joseph Lyman Silsbee, most famous for several iconic buildings in Syracuse, including the Syracuse Savings Bank Building, the Amos Building and the White Memorial Building. Silsbee is also noted for being a mentor to famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright, whom he employed in his Chicago office. This home was built for John M. Bemis and his wife, Mary. John was a lumber baron, profiting greatly off of the vast forests in the area. He relocated to Pennsylvania in 1891, selling the home to Thomas Thornton for $70,000 ($1.9 million in 2017 dollars). A wealthy Buffalo businessman in the milling industry, Thomas purchased the house for his daughter, Helen, and son-in-law, Dr. Robert Campbell, a Buffalo physician, whose patients included many of the city’s wealthiest residents. In 1901, Robert and his wife went through a messy divorce – one that was covered intensely by newspapers from Buffalo to New York City. The home remained in Helen’s possession, although she no longer lived there. From 1901 until her estate was settled in 1906 following her death in 1903, the home was occupied by Frank H. Goodyear, who, like the original owner of the home, John Bemis, was highly successful in the lumber industry. He formed a company with his brother, Charles, known as F. H. & C. W. Goodyear Co. (Charles’ home at 888 Delaware Ave was featured in a previous post). In 1906, the executors of Helen Campbell’s estate sold the home to Capt. Joseph T. Jones and his wife, Melodia. Joseph was a Civil War hero who would go on to become a pioneer in the oil and rail industries, accumulating a vast wealth. Melodia would become a philanthropic fixture in Buffalo, donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to local charities & educational institutions. The home would remain in the Jones family until 1953, when it was sold to its final residential owner, Philip Ransom, a descendant of one of the earliest settlers of Buffalo. Philip was a Dartmouth grad and World War I veteran who operated a real estate business in Buffalo. Today, 267 North St. is home to Collins & Collins Attorneys.