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About Us
Mission & History of LV - Staff & Board of Directors - Our Office in The Squier Mansion - Funders - Collaborative Partners - Annual Report
Literacy Volunteers and the Squier House
Building on a Tradition of Community Service
 Literacy Volunteers of Buffalo & Erie County entered a new chapter in their forty year history when they moved into the historic Squier House in December of 2004. Located at 1313 Main St., the Squier House has been home to prominent, wealthy Buffalo Citizens, destitute female orphans and eager-to-learn college students.
Squier Mansion History
Early Residents
The first person to live in this stately home was Alanson Robinson, a noted banker who contributed generously to charitable causes and served as a founding trustee of Buffalo’s Westminster Presbyterian Church. Robinson had the house built to circa 1860. At the time, Main Street was lined with other impressive two- and three-story homes. By 1864 Robinson sold the property to George Squier who moved in with his wife and four sons. The George L. Squier Manufacturing Company made agricultural equipment, which was sold worldwide and created millions of dollars in revenue that was reinvested in Buffalo’s economy.
St. Vincent’s Female Orphan Asylum
In 1885, George Squier sold the property to the Sisters of Charity for $30,000. The Sisters of Charity had operated an orphanage in Buffalo since 1848, but their facilities had become too small. The former Squier residence became their new home.
 St. Vincent’s Female Orphan Asylum, as the orphanage was called, was considered very progressive for its time. Not only did the institution provide shelter for poor and orphaned girls, it educated them so they could go on to support themselves. Training, usually in dressmaking and cooking, began when girls reached the age of sixteen. Once finished with school, girls were expected to find a job and a new home. However, both were subject to approval—if one or the other failed to meet the standards established by Catholic Charities, the girls were not allowed to leave.
In an 1899 interview with the Buffalo Illustrated Express, Sister Gabriel testified to the success of St. Vincent’s program:
“Many of those who have been instructed in dressmaking in St. Vincent’s are now earning $1.25 and $1.50 a day and their board sewing in private families…. That is a good deal better than being a shop girl at $2 or $3 a week.
“…half a dozen wealthy women, prominent in Buffalo Society wore gowns at the recent Charity Ball which were designed and made in the dressmaking branch at St. Vincent’s industrial school… (the girls are) constantly filling orders for trousseaux and garments for the women of Buffalo.”
 Expansion and Success
Despite the generous size of their new facility, the Sisters of Charity still needed more room. Thus, they launched an ambitious expansion project that began in 1886 with a large addition behind the original structure.
St. Vincent’s grew again in 1898-99 when the noted architectural firm of Green & Wicks was hired to design and build a large new facility. The five-story building faced Ellicott Street and provided space for classrooms, workrooms and dormitories, as well as a kitchen, dining room and chapel.
In 1922, the Sisters of Charity bought the G.B. Rich house for use as a convent.
St. Vincent’s last building project took place in 1935, when local architect George Dietel built a gymnasium/auditorium on the northern edge of the property.
By 1948, St. Vincent’s had housed and educated an estimated 10,000 girls.
From Decline & Disrepair….
St. Vincent’s relocated in the early 1950’s. For a time, the buildings were the home of Bishop O’Hern High School and later, Erie Community College, City Campus. However in 1982, ECC had moved and the buildings were left vacant. They fell victim to vandalism and other agents of deterioration.
…To Rebirth & Renewal
Local auctioneer Cash Cunningham bought the property in 2001. Once he was made fully aware of the house’s historic value and architectural significance, Cunningham completely renovated the building and restored it to its former glory.
The Squier House is a unique survivor from among a number of related Italianate houses, which wealthy Buffalonians built along Main Street marking the prosperity and growth of the City in the decade immediately preceding the Civil War. And now Main Street is experiencing renewal and growth once again. With Literacy Volunteers helping lead the way, the area has seen several business emerge and apartment complexes will soon follow.
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