Allentown Historic District (Boundary Increase)

Allentown is a neighborhood of central Buffalo, roughly a mile north of downtown, that grew from the early villages of Buffalo and Black Rock. This boundary expansion replaces the 1980 listing with one record covering the neighborhood's historic borders and its community identity. Most buildings are detached single-family homes from the mid-19th to early 20th century, many of them frame, alongside clubhouses, churches, apartment buildings and commercial blocks along Allen Street, Delaware Avenue and Main Street. Five residential squares survive, two of them, Symphony Circle and Day's Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. Notable buildings include a Greek Revival block from 1829, thought to be the oldest in the district, and the Coit house, reputed to be the oldest dwelling in Buffalo. Irving Place includes the childhood home of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The updated period of significance runs from 1829 into the 1960s, when the Allentown Association formed and midcentury buildings were constructed. The district count lists 316 contributing and 21 noncontributing buildings in the added area.