Berkeley Apartments
Posted by: Rayman
N 42° 53.524 W 078° 52.632
17T E 673331 N 4751015
Also known as the Graystone Hotel, this six-story building is located in the Johnson Park area of Buffalo, NY.
Waymark Code: WM1275
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 12/22/2006
Views: 11
The Berkeley Apartments, constructed between 1894 and 1897, is architecturally significant as one of the earliest examples of the use of reinforced concrete technology in the construction of a large-scale multi-story building in the United States. The building was designed by Carlton T. Strong and Ernest L. Ransome. Featuring concrete and other cast materials treated to resemble cut stone, the building's only wood elements are doors and interior trim. Other cast materials in the building include stair treads of concrete marble. Despite the innovative use of modern materials and technology in its construction, the Berkeley was designed to give the appearance of a stone building of traditional load bearing construction.
Plans for the building, initially called the Alabama Apartments, included 120 apartment suites containing one to ten rooms each with 10 foot ceilings, outside windows, closets and baths. A reporter at the time called it "the largest apartment house of its kind between New York and Chicago." After the owner, Charles Sherrill, misjudged the Buffalo housing market, he lost financing and new owners took over. New architects were hired to complete a scaled down version of the newly named Berkeley Apartments. The lower five floors were converted to smaller apartments containing one to six rooms.
The Berkeley opened as an apartment hotel for short rather than long-term tenants in December 1897 with 63 apartments that rented for $25 to $50 per month. In 1912, the Berkeley changed hands again and was renamed the Graystone Hotel, the name by which the building is commonly known today.
The building has been abandoned for years, but recent plans have called for a renovation of the interior into upscale apartments.
Street address: 24 Johnson Park Buffalo, NY United States 14201
County / Borough / Parish: Erie
Year listed: 1987
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1875-1899
Historic function: Domestic: Multiple Dwelling
Current function: Vacant
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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