Park Tinker House

1917 FRENCH ECLECTIC

A remarkably comfortable house with an impressive presentation. Details include three bathrooms including a full body marble shower tucked alongside a central (formerly) coal burning chimney with radiators in every space including the two car garage, laundry, and sun porch. Bedrooms included three second floor bedrooms and two third floor bedrooms. small ground floor library and an unfinished second floor billiard room. The main floor foyer leads to the long galley kitchen and vaulted ceiling living room with an imported limestone fireplace as its focal point.

This beautiful French eclectic style and details were interestingly influenced by the architect’s participation in the 1901 Buffalo World’s Fair in New York State Pavilion, now the Buffalo History Museum.

A few renovations have been done over the years ranging in scope and quality. Two smaller bedrooms on the second floor with a central hallway were changed to one large bedroom, losing what would have been a clever sight line from the second floor foyer to the billiard room French doors.

The unfinished billiard room was finished later as a walk-in closet, laundry, and large bathroom, leaving the house’s eyebrow window badly framed in a storage area.

The main floor foyer coat closet was converted to a half bathroom, and at some point the laundry room half bathroom was removed.

The long galley kitchen and service area were renovated with inexpensive cabinetry and leaving little clues to the original layout and features.

A second floor phone alcove was converted to a bookcase.

And a third floor cedar closet was converted into a bathroom.

Last but not least, ostentatious Italian reproduction paintings with muses and cherubs and a lot of gold painted Home Depot trim were added to the five largest rooms. Any remaining wallpaper in these rooms was removed and changed to paint.

first floor

(More to come; here is the foyer)

First Floor Foyer

I can only say that the house wanted to be this color. Everyone agreed.

"Gold"

When gold is reproduced in non metallic paint, the result is a marigold/mustard yellow. discoveries of remnants of the original wallpaper showed burgundy and creams that would have worked with the built in bench upholstery. We don’t know the age of the carpet (yet).

Original Chandelier

Chameleon Pink/Cream

Watson

The architect’s initials were CAT, and with more than one set of stone lions on his houses, we’d like to think Watson would have been approved.

Repair

Age, very bad wallpaper scraping, and paint drips made this a great time to get my first oscillating sander with vacuum attachment. I didn’t mind the work, but each room took a long time.

Buffalo History Museum

See anything familiar? This room has been painted over the years as well, so I don’t know how color played into it.

second floor

(More to come; here’s the secret room)

Phone Alcove

When I painted, I took out some loose trim framing this nook, and discovered that it had been added. Shortly later, we found a bookcase in the garage that had covered this access for many, many years.

Hidden Ladder

Slid into the attic, this ladder was made to be pulled out and fit this space.

A Small Attic

Looking into the access door, there is a narrow attic space, like many of the other attics throughout the house.

Access to Another Attic

Not visible when looking in, the narrow first attic opens to the right to the attic over the vaulted living room ceiling.

The Second Attic

An interesting somewhat diagonal flooring leads across this large unused space.

A Third Attic?

This very deliberate flooring leads to alongside the central living room chimney.

Secret Room

A much less refined but built for this space ladder leads from the walkway to this room.

No Power

There was no electricity here, so Amazon supplied some solar lights for me.

Partially Floored

Judging from the very neatly installed pathway through the second attic, I’m not entirely sure why these boards are sloppy and unfinished. I’ll check materials when I get more into it and see if they were re-purposed later or originally installed this way.

Hidden in Plain Sight

This dormer faces the active street. An interesting detail is the installation of very thick oversized blinds.

Exiting through the second attic

Note the perfect angle of the joined floorboards in the walkway

Access leading to the first attic

First Attic

Crawling out

It takes a little finesse.