Lafayette High School
Why it's listed
Lafayette High School occupies 1.92 acres in a residential part of northwest Buffalo, just west of Colonial Circle, part of the Olmsted-designed parkway system. Built between 1901 and 1903, the three-and-one-half-story building combines red brick, red Medina sandstone and light terra-cotta detailing in a Beaux-Arts classical design. A fifteen-bay front facade is centered on a projecting entrance tower with an octagonal roof and elaborate dormers. The architects, Esenwein and Johnson, also designed a 1921 north addition containing a swimming pool, gymnasium and a larger cafeteria. Inside, the auditorium rises three stories and has a carved wooden proscenium arch. Some changes have occurred, including replacement of the original windows with aluminum sliding units and removal of the tower cupola in 1963. The nomination values the school as an intact example of early twentieth-century public architecture and as Buffalo's oldest continually operating secondary school, built to serve a growing neighborhood.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents it as a largely intact, representative example of Beaux-Arts classicism and a leading work of the Buffalo firm Esenwein and Johnson. It is also described as Buffalo's oldest continually operating secondary school and the city's oldest public high school still used for education.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80002608, listed December 3, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 370 Lafayette Ave., Buffalo |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | December 3, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002608 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Esenwein and Johnson |
| Architectural style | Beaux-Arts classicism |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as a school; windows replaced with aluminum sliding units and the tower cupola removed in 1963. |
| Acreage | 1.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.92081, -78.88451 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80002608.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6471423
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.