Dorsheimer, William, House
Posted by: 
Rayman
N 42° 53.771 W 078° 52.517
17T E 673476 N 4751476
The Dorsheimer House was designed by H.H. Richardson and was home to a Buffalo lawyer and New York lieutenant governor.
Waymark Code: WMQV4
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 09/18/2006
Views: 20
William Dorsheimer was born in 1832 in Lyons, NY. He moved to Buffalo when he was a young boy. He went on to study law at Harvard, then passed the bar. In 1869 he was appointed Federal Prosecutor of the Northern Districts of New York by Andrew Johnson. Then in 1874 he was elected with Samuel J. Tilden to the office of Lieutenant Governor. He was Lieutenant Governor a second time, this time running on the ticket with Lucius Robinson in 1879. After his political career ended, he established a law firm in Buffalo.
During Dorsheimer's time in Buffalo, he invited Frederick Law Olmstead to visit to plan a park. Olmstead was friends with H.H. Richardson and recommended he design a house for Dorsheimer. Dorsheimer and Richardson became friends during his term as lieutenant governer, which led to Richardson completing the design of the state capitol.
The design of the house is in the Louis XIII style, popular in Paris in the 1850s and 1860s. It was in this house that Dorsheimer and other Buffalo parks commissioners first met with Frederick Law Olmsted to plan a park system for the city. In the late 1950s, the house was converted into a small office building by the George R. Bennett Co. and added the glass enclosed extension on the south side.
Street address:
434 Delaware Ave
Buffalo, NY United States
14202
County / Borough / Parish: Erie
Year listed: 1980
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1850-1874
Historic function: Domestic: Single Dwelling
Current function: Commerce/Trade: Business
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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