Benson House
547 Franklin Street
, Buffalo, NY

Painting by Carl F. Zoschke
Watercolor
17 1/2" X 12 1/2"
1996


Text below illustration

Built

c. 1870

Owners

Original owner: Benson

In 1924, the owner was either Joseph Bradney (1844-1924) or, more probably, his son Joseph John Bradney, a Buffalo architect.

The father, Jospeh Bradney, was born in 1844 in England. In the US, he made his living as a chainmaker and later as a confectionery store owner. He was married to Mary Ann Hudson (1842-1916). They had three children:

  • Mary (1875-1882)
  • Emma Charlotte (1872-1918; m. 1896)
  • Joseph John

Joseph Bradney died on June 30, 1924 and was buried from the Franklin Street home.

The building was used for apartments for many years.

Style

Hip-roof  Italianate with Gothic Revival wing and square cupola

Architectural Features

Belvedere and main eaves have dentils and scroll brackets.

Semi-elliptical arched entrance has wood-paneled double doors with single lights and a leaded-glass fanlight-shaped transom.

There is plain wood frieze.

The stucco finish is scored to give the impression of ashlar blocks.

The front porch on the wing has fluted posts, a pendant design in the balustrade and a stick design at the porch base.

A one-story rear addition made.


Sources of information:



The Benson-Bradney House, 547 Franklin Street, Buffalo, New York, June 2020.

An odd Frankenstein's Monster of a house whose two halves make little or no effort to harmonize with each other architecturally, the original portion of the building (seen at right) dates to 1867 and is a textbook example of the Italianate style popular at the time, with segmental arches topping the windows, a shallow-pitched hip roof, and - the hallmark of the style - a belvedere cupola at the top.

The wood-framed Gothic Revival wing at the north end of the house, seen at left in the shadows, is a later addition.

John Benson (1819-1870) was founder and owner of the eponymous firm of John Benson & Son, a confectionery business that advertised its candy as being manufactured by steam power, innovative at the time; John's son Henry (1845-1910) continued to live in the house for a time with his wife and widowed mother, but by 1873 he had moved to North Pearl Street. The candy company would go out of business soon after, and on his 1910 census form, his occupation was listed as retired railroad clerk.

Later owners included Joseph J. W. Bradney (1870-1955), architect with the firm of McCreary, Wood & Bradney who lived there from 1924 until shortly before his death.

- Andre Carrotflower, Wikipedia Commons, 15 June 2020


See also:


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