DRESSER HOME: It’s been 20 years this month that the Dresser
Memorial Presbyterian Home for the Aged at 149 Jackson Ave., was
destroyed by fire, an event many Bradfordians will
remember.[neWLine]
The sad news was that Bradford lost one of its most
distinguished landmarks, the original home of Solomon R. Dresser,
who from 1880 to 1911 was the first head of what today is Dresser
Industries.[neWLine]
The good news that night was that all 31 elderly residents of
the home escaped unharmed.[neWLine]
The lavish mansion, vintage 1903, was donated by Dresser’s
daughter-in-law in 1957 to the local presbytery, becoming the
Dresser Memorial Presbyterian Home for the Aged. The palatial
residence had about 30 rooms, including a large
ballroom.[neWLine]
The Era noted that by the early hours of March 1, “”the blaze
had claimed much of the interior of the historic mansion with only
the brick walls and chimneys standing. The roaring fire could be
seen from many parts of the city.[neWLine]
“”Firefighters standing at the perimeter of the building
continued to hose down the burning structure, attempting to keep
the blaze under control.””[neWLine]
At the start, firemen did fight the blaze from the inside -to no
avail. After more than two hours, water pressure along Jackson
Avenue began dropping, so intense was the effort to save the
historic structure.[neWLine]
The piece noted that Bradford Hospital opened a special wing to
house the residents. About a dozen of them were housed temporarily
at the home of James E. Ericson across the street.[neWLine]
“”Many of the residents were wrapped in layers of blankets to
ward off the bitter cold,”” the article read.[neWLine]
For those who remember it, the house was unforgettable.
Originally called “”Belleview Terrace,”” its exterior was
grey-white brick with trimmings of gray canyon
sandstone.[neWLine]
The Era noted that “”Bradfordian E.N. Unruh supervised
construction. Dresser contracted with the William Wright Co. of
Detroit and Paris to be responsible for the interior woodwork,
furnishings, tapestries and decorations.[neWLine]
“”Four levels high, the home featured eight massive Greek
columns supporting a front circular projection flanked by broad
terraces across the entire front and sides, porches at all levels
and a captain’s walk.[neWLine]
“”The inspiration for the house came to Dresser at the 1901 Pan
American Exposition in Buffalo, N.Y., where he admired the Michigan
Building. Dresser commissioned that building’s architect, Louis
Kamper of Detroit, to design a house along the same lines.””
