The Harlow C. Curtiss Mansion
864 Delaware Avenue
Location: 42° 54′ 26.95″ N, 78° 52′ 17.89″ W
The International Institute of Buffalo headquarters, a striking three-story Georgian Revival mansion, stands proudly on Delaware Avenue in Buffalo. This architectural gem, designed in 1898 by the renowned firm Esenwein & Johnson, is a testament to the city’s rich architectural history. They are responsible for significant Buffalo buildings, including The Buffalo Museum of Science (1929), The Calumet (1906), General Electric Tower (1912), Lafayette High School (1901), Hotel Statler (1908), and the Temple of Music from the Pan American Exposition of 1901.
Its first occupant was Harlow C. Curtiss, a prominent lawyer in Buffalo for nearly 40 years, who began his law career at Cleveland and Bissell, the law firm led by former President Grover Cleveland. He was married to Ethel Mann Curtiss, whose father was the doctor who treated President William McKinley after he was shot at the Pan American Exposition.
From 1906 to 1908, W. E. Silverthorne owned the house while he built a new mansion across the street. He is credited with building the south wing, which holds the music room.
From 1910 to 1916, Walter H. Schoellkopf, grandson of one of the founders of the Niagara Falls Power Company, Jacob Schoellkopf, owned the house.
Daniel B. Good, who established the Seibert-Good Company in Chicago, lived there from 1915 to 1929. The company later consolidated with the Seymour H. Knox stores of Buffalo and became part of the F.W. Woolworth Company.
The building’s last private resident, Frank Henry, was the chairman of the board of the Washburn-Crosby Company, the manufacturer of Gold Medal flour. He owned the home from 1929 to 1938.
The house was vacant until the Temple of Unity and Truth occupied the site from 1941 to 1942. The Buffalo Association for the Blind (now VIA – Visually Impaired Advancement) used the building as its headquarters from 1946 to 1973. In 1973, the mansion became home to the International Institute of Buffalo.
In addition to serving as the headquarters for the International Institute, the building has also hosted various cultural events, weddings, educational events, and more.
