Entranceway at Main Street at Roycroft Boulevard
Encyclopedia
Entranceway at Main Street at Roycroft Boulevard is a suburban residential subdivision entranceway built in 1918. It is located on Main Street (
New York State Route 5
) in the hamlet of , which is located in the town of Amherst
within Erie County
. The entranceway is a marker that represents the American suburbanization
of rural areas, suburbanization that occurred through transportation-related land development on the edges of urban areas. It consists of a variety of half-height wall formations, featuring a semicircular wall on the Roycroft Boulevard median's intersection with Main Street. The entranceway was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on December 7, 2005.
Main Street is a four-lane road running east-west connecting Williamsville
to points westward such as the neighboring hamlet of Eggertsville and downtown Buffalo
. The entranceway is located proximate to large residential areas of trees and grass, 1920s-built subdivisions flanking a wide central median. Each side of the median serves one-way traffic
. The entranceways sit on the two south side corners of this T-junction intersection.
stone half-walls on Roycroft Boulevard's axis of symmetry, which is at a 22 degree
angle
to Main Street. The wall has one central and two end square post
s that are approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) in height and that have poured concrete
caps that are not original. Each post has a metal and glass contemporary street lamp projecting from its center. Quarter points of the arc have stone pilaster
ornamentation. The running portion of the wall has a continuous cast in place coping
cap shaped at a 45 degree angle, which forms an attached buttress
three quarters the height of the posts. Past repairs have included incompatible stone and mortar
patches. The Main Street paving and the grassy median abut the convex and concave sides, respectively. There is no visible base and as of 2009, vertical alignment has been lost and the general condition is poor.
On opposite sides of the Roycroft Boulevard roadways from the central feature are flanking structures with random ashlar stone posts and half-height walls. They are oriented parallel to the angular Roycroft Boulevard and have lengths proportionate to the central wall end post's distance from Main Street. Both walls are L-shaped with the longer length extending along Roycroft Boulevard and having a short cornered length along Main Street. These walls have capped, square stone buttress-less posts and corners marked by wall-height stone pilaster. On the opposite side of each from the a concrete sidewalk parallel to Roycroft Boulevard is a free-standing stone post. The west side is in fair condition, while the east side is out of vertical alignment and is in poor condition. The east side has the distinction of retaining the only original cast concrete cap with a circular recess on its north end post. It presumably once held an original lamp post and was once painted white. Its south end post has a four piece, white terra cotta
cap resembling the other non-original end posts in the set of structures.
s and surveyor
s from Buffalo. County engineer, George C. Diehl, was also associated with the development of this subdivision.
New York State Route 5New York State Route 5
New York State Route 5 is a state highway that extends for across the state of New York in the United States. It begins at the Pennsylvania state line in the Chautauqua County town of Ripley and passes through Buffalo, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady, and several other smaller cities and...
) in the hamlet of , which is located in the town of Amherst
Amherst, New York
Amherst is a town in Erie County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 122,366. This represents an increase of 5.0% from the 2000 census. The town is named for Jeffrey Amherst, a British Army officer of the colonial period...
within Erie County
Erie County, New York
Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...
. The entranceway is a marker that represents the American suburbanization
Suburbanization
Suburbanization a term used to describe the growth of areas on the fringes of major cities. It is one of the many causes of the increase in urban sprawl. Many residents of metropolitan regions work within the central urban area, choosing instead to live in satellite communities called suburbs...
of rural areas, suburbanization that occurred through transportation-related land development on the edges of urban areas. It consists of a variety of half-height wall formations, featuring a semicircular wall on the Roycroft Boulevard median's intersection with Main Street. The entranceway was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 7, 2005.
Main Street is a four-lane road running east-west connecting Williamsville
Williamsville, New York
Williamsville is a village in Erie County, New York in the United States. The population was 5,573 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Jonas Williams, an early settler...
to points westward such as the neighboring hamlet of Eggertsville and downtown Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. The entranceway is located proximate to large residential areas of trees and grass, 1920s-built subdivisions flanking a wide central median. Each side of the median serves one-way traffic
One-way traffic
One-way traffic is traffic that moves in a single direction. A one-way street is a street either facilitating only one-way traffic, or designed to direct vehicles to move in one direction.-General signs:...
. The entranceways sit on the two south side corners of this T-junction intersection.
Architecture
The featured element of the entranceway is the nearly semi-circular random ashlarAshlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
stone half-walls on Roycroft Boulevard's axis of symmetry, which is at a 22 degree
Degree (angle)
A degree , usually denoted by ° , is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1⁄360 of a full rotation; one degree is equivalent to π/180 radians...
angle
Angle
In geometry, an angle is the figure formed by two rays sharing a common endpoint, called the vertex of the angle.Angles are usually presumed to be in a Euclidean plane with the circle taken for standard with regard to direction. In fact, an angle is frequently viewed as a measure of an circular arc...
to Main Street. The wall has one central and two end square post
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s that are approximately 4 feet (1.2 m) in height and that have poured concrete
Concrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
caps that are not original. Each post has a metal and glass contemporary street lamp projecting from its center. Quarter points of the arc have stone pilaster
Pilaster
A pilaster is a slightly-projecting column built into or applied to the face of a wall. Most commonly flattened or rectangular in form, pilasters can also take a half-round form or the shape of any type of column, including tortile....
ornamentation. The running portion of the wall has a continuous cast in place coping
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
cap shaped at a 45 degree angle, which forms an attached buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
three quarters the height of the posts. Past repairs have included incompatible stone and mortar
Mortar (masonry)
Mortar is a workable paste used to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them. The blocks may be stone, brick, cinder blocks, etc. Mortar becomes hard when it sets, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure. Modern mortars are typically made from a mixture of sand, a binder...
patches. The Main Street paving and the grassy median abut the convex and concave sides, respectively. There is no visible base and as of 2009, vertical alignment has been lost and the general condition is poor.
Terra cotta
Terracotta, Terra cotta or Terra-cotta is a clay-based unglazed ceramic, although the term can also be applied to glazed ceramics where the fired body is porous and red in color...
cap resembling the other non-original end posts in the set of structures.
History
The entryways remain in their original location, retain original design, and setting. They continue to serve their original function of marking the vehicular and pedestrian entrance to the subdivision. Abbott and Beymer Land Co. purchased the land for the Aurora Park subdivision that the entranceway has marked since its 1918 construction. The street and plot plan were designed by the Straley Brothers, who were civil engineerCivil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...
s and surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
s from Buffalo. County engineer, George C. Diehl, was also associated with the development of this subdivision.