Main Street, Williamsville

Main Street in Williamsville is a busy street that wants to feel small. This is not to say, however, that there are not things to be noticed just below the surface, or in this case, above it.

For example, this building currently houses the offices of The Amherst Bee. The curious part of this building however, is that it has a window that faces directly into the wall of the building next to it. I believe this shows the progression of construction in the village along Main Street. You would not build a building with a window that faces directly into another building. Therefore, the yellow building must have been built first.

Like the previous building, the second floor of this building shows the progression of construction in the Village of Williamsville. This time, however, the new construction is incorporated in a single building. The brick building on the right is likely the original structure, with the brown building on the left most likely being built afterward. This is easily seen on the building's second floor, where one of the chimneys of the brick structure juts out of the brown building. Like many of the buildings along Main Street, this has been converted into a law office out of a private home. The upper floors are likely more offices of the law firm.

That there are old buildings on Main Street does not mean that there are only old buildings on that road. This structure, for example is likely a relatively recent addition to the small skyline that is Main Street. I make this assumption because of what appears to be vinyl siding on its exterior. The purpose of the second floor of this building is not in question, however, as it advertises its use on its facade.

 This building shows the most obvious evidence of refurbishing. Looking carefully at the chimney, you can see that it appears to be of a much earlier time than the rest of the building. This is unlikely, however, as you likely would not put an old chimney into an new building. Because of this, it is likely that the building underwent renovation in order to become what we see at present.

The second floors of the buildings on Main Street reveal a great deal about the purposes of the buildings on top of which they reside. This is true whether or not they overtly say it or not.