File:Kastra-Kermer House, Buffalo, New York - 20211218.jpg

English: The Kastra-Kermer House, 41 Burke Drive, Buffalo, New York, December 2021. Built in 1929, this is a typical example of the Tudor Revival style that was all the rage among the upper-class residential architecture of the era, and which seems to have been especially popular in what's now known as the Treehaven or Judges' Row subdivision at the far northeast corner of the city. Classic to the style are the half-timbered stucco façade, steeply pitched roof, and particularly the asymmetrical front gable whose long, sweeping end encloses an understated front entrance. The house is a beauty to be sure, but the not terribly fortuitous timing of its construction - on the eve of the Great Depression - meant that it spent its early years being passed between the hands of a revolving door of short-term owners. The first of these was Edward Kastra (1888-1948), who was employed as the personal chauffeur and gardener of Charles G. Duffy of Lincoln Parkway. However, Kastra only lived in the house for three years, moving out in 1932. The longest-tenured owner in the early history of 41 Burke was Martin J. Kermer (1877-1958), who held the post of Chief Evaporator Engineer at the Buffalo Foundry & Machine Company. Kermer lived in the house from 1935 until 1941.