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Summer Hours: Telling the stories of Buffalo’s mansions

Zoom image: Jessica Seabury fields a question while leading a recent Explore Buffalo Delaware Mansions Walking tour. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki Jessica Seabury fields a question from a tour attendee while leading the Delaware Mansions Walking tour in July 2021. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Jessica Seabury fields a question while leading a recent Explore Buffalo Delaware Mansions Walking tour. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Photos and text by MEREDITH FORREST KULWICKI

Published August 6, 2021

Editor's note: Summer Hours is a photo series focusing on UB staff members who use the longer days to pursue interesting hobbies, causes and other endeavors outside of their day jobs.

You’ve driven down Delaware Avenue, maybe even run the annual Turkey Trot. But how often do you look at the homes?

The mansions along Buffalo’s Millionaires’ Row are the focus of an Explore Buffalo tour led by Jessica Seabury, senior assistant director of the Honors College.

“I really love seeing people experience these mansions,” Seabury says. “They’ve probably driven past a bunch of times, but didn’t really know the stories of the people who lived in them.”

Using a laminated book of color-coded notes, Seabury has perfected her presentation of the Delaware Avenue Mansions Walking Tour. She started as a volunteer docent in 2017. The 18 homes included on the tour were mostly built in the decades around 1900 and reflect Buffalo’s past as the home of more than 60 millionaires whose wealth largely came from the tanning, lumber, grain and banking industries.

Zoom image: Using color-coded notes, Seabury starts off the tour at the southeast corner of Delaware Avenue and North Street in Buffalo. The tour covers about 18 buildings. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki Using color-coded notes, Seabury starts off the tour at the southeast corner of Delaware Avenue and North Street in Buffalo. The tour covers about 18 buildings. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
Zoom image: The microphone helps the crowd hear Seabury over the street noise. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki The microphone helps the crowd hear Seabury over the street noise. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
Zoom image: Seabury says a good tour size is around a dozen people, where she can answer questions and keep the group together walking between the homes. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki Seabury says a good tour size is around a dozen people, where she can answer questions and keep the group together walking between the homes. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Seabury wears a microphone to be heard over the street noise and passes arounds photos of the mansions that have been torn down. She says each docent is encouraged to make the tour their own, and while some may focus on the architecture, for her the residents’ stories and the “gossip” are forefront.

“I like to talk about some of the really strong women who lived on this street,” Seabury says. “Kate Butler, who was the president and publisher of The Buffalo News, for example. A lot of the women outlive their husbands and were very accomplished in their own right.”

Zoom image: Seabury gestures while talking about how people lived in the homes and what the surrounding area was like at the turn of the 20th century. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki Seabury gestures while talking about how people lived in the homes and what the surrounding area was like at the turn of the 20th century. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
Zoom image: Seabury passed around images of the mansions that have been demolished. “I just thought, I can't talk about a space without giving them some representation,” she said. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki Seabury passed around images of the mansions that have been demolished. “I just thought, I can't talk about a space without giving them some representation,” she said. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
Zoom image: This woman is taking a photo of the Charles W. Goodyear House, the largest mansion on the tour at 64,000 square feet. It was the home of Bishop McMahon High School (1950-1980s) and then Oracle Charter School (2005-18), but is currently closed for renovations by a local developer. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki This woman is taking a photo of the Charles W. Goodyear House, the largest mansion on the tour at 64,000 square feet. It was the home of Bishop McMahon High School (1950-1980s) and then Oracle Charter School (2005-18), but is currently closed for renovations by a local developer. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
Zoom image: One of the first mansions featured is the Butler Mansion, home to UB’s Jacobs Executive Development Center. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki One of the first mansions featured is the Butler Mansion, home to UB’s Jacobs Executive Development Center. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

One of the first mansions featured is the Butler Mansion, home to UB’s Jacobs Executive Development Center. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Herding people together for the stroll between buildings on a recent tour, Seabury makes sure to follow traffic rules while answering questions. The tour generally has about a dozen participants. Some take a moment to leave reviews of the tour on Explore Buffalo’s “TripAdvisor” page.

“The Delaware Mansions tour was terrific! Our guide, Jessica, was informative and funny! It was great to learn the history of Buffalo’s millionaires and to see the mansions up close. Highly recommend. Thank you, Jessica, for a fun night out on Delaware!” wrote user “pittmom2017” about a tour with Seabury last month.

Zoom image: These three homes are now owned by Child and Family Services. From left: The yellow home with white brick pillars is the Forman Cabana House at 824 Delaware; the middle is the George B. Matthews House at 830 Delaware; and the final one is the Richmond-Lockwood House at 844 Delaware. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki These three homes are now owned by Child and Family Services. From left: The yellow home with white brick pillars is the Forman Cabana House at 824 Delaware; the middle is the George B. Matthews House at 830 Delaware; and the final one is the Richmond-Lockwood House at 844 Delaware. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
Zoom image: Seabury conducted the tour in sunshine and in rain, as her notes show. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki Seabury conducted the tour in sunshine and in rain, as her notes show. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
Zoom image: The Clement Mansion at 786 Delaware is now owned by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, but houses offices of both the BPO and the American Red Cross. Carolyn Clement donated it to the Red Cross in 1941, with the request that the home display a Christmas tree with white lights every year. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki The Clement Mansion at 786 Delaware is now owned by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, but houses offices of both the BPO and the American Red Cross. Carolyn Clement donated it to the Red Cross in 1941, with the request that the home display a Christmas tree with white lights every year. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki

Seabury leads two tours a month between May and October. She says there’s something special about Buffalo summers and she enjoys the extra time outside.

“I started doing it just because I love Buffalo history and I love people and teaching, so it’s something fun to do, to be able to meet people,” Seabury says. “[To] really share my love of Buffalo.”

Jessica Seabury is a UB alumnus who has worked in the Honors College for 25 years. Explore Buffalo is a non-profit organization that runs 220 tours in the summer months focused on Buffalo’s architecture, history and neighborhoods.