397 Tremont Street

The Architect’s Own Home - 397 Tremont Street - 1892

High Tea in a Victorian Home, spectacular front staircase, wonderful restoration

This dwelling is a delightful example of the Shingle style, executed on a small scale. A narrow front-gabled design, the house features a large stair tower projected from the center of the east side.

Note the great variety of surface planes just on the front elevation: the entry porch is recessed, the front window projects; the gable above projects further still, its two larger windows framing a small prow window, which is sheltered by a swelling of the gable above.

A great treasure awaits within, a smaller house with the woodwork normally seen only in large houses. At the entry hall, one finds a built-in seat at the base of a magnificent staircase framed by the most delicate spindlework. (One would think that small children never lived here!) The woodwork here and throughout the house is stunning. At the landing is a large opalescent glass window, also typical of the period. The large living room was originally two smaller rooms, from which a wall was removed, one of the few alterations to the house; however, other woodwork, such as the magnificent fireplace, was left intact. The intimate dining room is another jewel of a space, with wainscoting and a window seat in the bay. The owner is in the process of installing period light fixtures throughout the house, to harmonize with the original ambience.

This house was designed and built in 1892 by North Tonawanda architect George F. Fisher as his own residence. As an architect, Fisher was obviously able to arrange advantageous contracts with lumber mills and woodworkers, allowing for the material richness of a mansion on a reduced budget. Fisher later became a partner in Thompson, Hubman & Fisher, proprietors of the Tonawanda Planing Mill, one of the area’s largest lumber mills.