The Coles House Project will thoughtfully restore and transform the house and studio of Black architect Robert Traynham Coles into a place where intergenerational designers, architects, planners, and advocates find inspiration and community. Its restoration and programming will advocate for a just built environment and become a resource and an inspiration for the East Side communities of Buffalo. This signature mid-century modern house will be a place to engage, study, vision, and disseminate ideas for an environmentally healthy community in underserved parts of Buffalo and connect individuals to the resources they need to address problems. But first .. we need to buy the house.

The Coles House Project, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, has the right of first refusal to acquire the house but that option expires at the end of 2024. We need $350,000 to buy the house. Generous grants from the Mellon Foundation's Humanities in Place project and Conserving Black Modernism, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Heritage Fund, lay the groundwork for the house's restoration and programming. But first ... we need to buy the house. 

This community project will only be successful with wide community support. Your small or large donation is an investment in Black history and is a chance to change traditional architecture and design processes that lead to inclusive public spaces and affordable and just neighborhoods. Your investment will center communal knowledge building and sharing through anti-racist design education and spatial practice. But first ... we need to buy the house.

All contributions are tax deductible and all will be permanently recognized in the restored Coles House and Studio. Any money raised that exceeds the costs associated with acquiring the house will be applied toward its restoration. Help us buy the house.

For more information about the Coles House Project visit www.coleshouseproject.org