Fitting in, standing out

The Josephs figured they would tear the house down and rebuild on the property, so they hired architect John Wingfelder (MArch ‘91, BPS ‘88) to research the home, and see if anything prohibited them from demolishing it.

“There’s nothing to stop you,” said Wingfelder, “but I wish you’d think about not doing that.”

Persuaded by Wingfelder’s vision and experience, the Josephs hired his firm to preserve the original structure while creating a modern home inside. 

And so began a three-year labor of love.

Together, the Josephs and Wingfelder transformed the old house into a modern art showcase that fits perfectly into this urban neighborhood. They listened carefully to each other, created a true working partnership, and pushed through countless challenges–including the house almost falling down. 

The end result speaks for itself: a creative and thoughtful combination of preservation and contemporary design, and a bold architectural statement for the owners, the architect, and the city they all love.

The three-story home now known as “Gallery House” is garnering well-deserved attention, including a post on Dwell, a feature in Buffalo Spree and an award from AIA Buffalo/WNY. It was designed by John Wingfelder Architect firm, where Wingfelder works side-by-side with two other UB architecture graduates - his son, Charlie (MArch ’21), and Mike O’Hara (BPS ‘96). 

On a recent tour, it was easy to see why Buffalo Rising affectionately referred to the home as, “a Dr Jekyll / Mr Hyde House.” All but the facade was removed and rebuilt during the design and construction process. While the front retains the original architectural structure, the interior now features a modern three-story atrium, skylit staircase, and a clean, modern feel. 

“We’re really happy we were able to keep the integrity of the neighborhood,” says Roberta. “All the neighbors just loved what we did here,” she adds, referring to the architecture as well as the new sculpture garden in the publicly accessible side yard. (People warned the Josephs that kids would damage the 800-pound artwork, but so far the biggest threat has been an overactive rabbit chewing through electrical cords.)

Dean Robert Shibley, who has served on the faculty of the School of Architecture and Planning since 1982 and over four decades has helped shape a framework of award-winning urban plans for the City of Buffalo, is also thankful for the Josephs’ efforts. “The metaphor for this house is a citizen house. It belongs on the street and it belongs to you. There’s a sense of responsibility to the neighborhood and, at the same time, a clarity of the interior. The house is about the individual and the body politic - and any architecture that's any good has to do both.”

Perhaps Wingfelder’s most daunting challenge was navigating the Josephs’ desire for natural light without limiting the amount of wall space for art–while also protecting the art from direct light and temperature variations.

As always, Wingfelder delivered, with soaring windows throughout the home, and window shades and multiple HVAC zones to help protect the artwork. When he couldn’t raise the ceilings (which were dictated by the original structure), he lowered the floor of the new living room to create more height and bring in more light. “There’s really not a dark spot in the house that I can think of,” notes Michael.

While the house wasn’t designed around art (except for one large mobile), it was certainly designed for the art. Except for the pantry, every wall in the house is painted a shade of white to let the artwork stand out. And behind every wall is three-quarter-inch plywood–a necessity when some paintings can weigh hundreds of pounds each. Touring Gallery House, it’s clear that the home and the art are made for each other.

Michael and Roberta both serve on the board of directors of the Albright-Knox, soon to be the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. (Michael, as the founder and president of Clover Group property management and development firm, also served as a past member of the board of trustees of the University at Buffalo Foundation.)

The Josephs are well-known contemporary art lovers with surprisingly similar good taste (many of their pieces are coveted by major museums) and they speak with passion and insight about art and the artists they collect. In fact, the only piece of art they ever sold was commissioned for a house they no longer own.

They also have a particular fondness for three-dimensional pieces, so it’s no surprise that walking through their home feels like being inside a modern sculpture–which was one of Wingfelder’s goals. “You’re literally moving around the three-dimensional space and getting to inhabit it,” he explains.

The home was built for the Josephs’ lifestyle, with two bedrooms, a home gym, and a theater room that offers a view of the top of the towers on the Richardson Olmsted Campus. While their kids are grown and in (nearby) houses of their own, the Josephs still had to consider how their dogs–and their grandkids–would experience the home. In a recent meeting with Wingfelder, for example, they discussed a design modification to keep their dogs from jumping over an exterior stone wall. But that’s just part of the process. “People think change orders are bad,” says Shibley. “I think you should learn while you build and live in the house. The house shouldn’t tell you how to live.”

Of course, the construction process was anything but simple. The home needed new foundations, including for the front entrance. The old hip roof was “kind of a mess,” says Wingfelder, and needed to be replaced; dormers that had been added on weren’t properly framed, and repairing them would have added bulk and taken up too much space.

And then there’s the fact that the house almost fell down.

At one point when the house had been torn apart, explains Michael Joseph, it was “like a Hollywood set,” with just the original exterior walls on three sides, held up by temporary braces. 

“I was here one afternoon and a contractor said ‘This is crazy what you’re going to spend. Would you like the house to fall down tonight?’ And he wasn’t kidding. Because if he had pulled some of those boards the house would have gone down.” But the Josephs were committed to finishing what they started.

Along the way, they worked with Wingfelder to modernize and future-proof the home. The theater room and home gym can easily be converted into bedrooms to make it a four-bed house. And they added an elevator to allow for aging in place, although these days the elevator is used mostly to move art throughout the home, shuttle cases of wine between floors, and allow their 15-year-old dog, Izzy, to hitch a ride and avoid the stairs.

But it all goes back to the relationship between the Josephs and Wingfelder–a bond built on communication and trust. “I could show up with sketches and they got it right away,” says Wingfelder. Similarly, the Josephs appreciated Wingfelder’s collaborative approach. “You get a feeling someone’s listening to you,” says Michael. “I think that’s the key.”

At John Wingfelder Architect, it’s easy to see the influence–and evolution–of UB’s School of Architecture and Planning. John’s pencil sketches and Charlie’s digital models represent what John calls, “the analog-to-digital continuum of skills” that lets them partner efficiently and effectively with clients and contractors. While the men share similar sensibilities and a love of Buffalo, John is best known for his thoughtfulness and calm approach, with Charlie adding another level of creativity and new skills to the firm.

But it wasn’t a given that Charlie Wingfelder would even be an architect, despite the fact that he had AutoCAD on his computer since he was 11 years old, and that his mother is also a UB architecture alum. Only after he got his undergraduate degree in international political economy and spent some time working did he decide to make the switch. Of course, once he did, “there was no question that I would join Dad’s firm,” notes Charlie.

Both Wingfelders speak fondly of their time at UB, including John’s semester studying in Barcelona, the hands-on approach and growing maker culture, and talented faculty (both John and Charlie had Hiroaki Hata, associate professor of architecture and urban planning, as a studio professor, more than 30 years apart; in addition, John was one of Dean Shibley’s students, while Charlie worked as a graduate assistant for the Dean).They are also both thankful for the critical role that philanthropy plays in providing these invaluable experiences, and helping the School develop better prepared, more engaged professionals.

Today, with Gallery House continuing to earn accolades, the Wingfelders are excited to keep growing the firm, and building on UB’s history of reimagining and rebuilding urban landscapes. “The gritty, underdog culture at UB instills a sort of scrappy optimism about what’s possible,” says Charlie.

His Dad couldn’t agree more. “We love our town, we’re optimistic for the future, and we’re always eager for a challenge.”