UB architecture students showcase studies in plaster and wood through Fragments: Then and Now at The Assembly House
BY KELLY SHELDON
Published April 24, 2025
The Assembly House, home of the nonprofit art/design/construction studio and incubator founded by Dennis Maher in 2015. Photo by Douglas Levere
“I build architectural dream worlds,” Dennis Maher, clinical assistant professor in the UB Department of Architecture, said of his work. And this is exactly what you’ll find when you pass through the large wooden doors of the former church located at 150 Edward Street in Buffalo’s Allentown neighborhood.
Inside, a robin’s egg blue cathedral ceiling sits atop a mélange of architectural studies and works in progress. The 1850s-era structure is The Assembly House, an experimental work of art and architecture being developed by Maher with Assembly House 150 (AH150), the nonprofit art/design/construction studio and incubator he founded in 2015.
The former church is being transformed into a site for the public imagination that instills joy and enthusiasm for the built environment, a place for all to experience the art of building. The structure is filled with creations by Maher’s team along with work by UB and public-school students and participants in AH150’s community-driven skills-building program known as SACRA (Society for the Advancement of Construction Related Arts). Alcoves throughout the building house various studies – an area for Victorian-era elements complete with inlay floors, stained glass windows, and a long wooden staircase; a cabinet drawer room used to display the artisanal objects built there including a classical spinet desk and inverted bay window; and numerous others.
On April 15, The Assembly House partnered with the University at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning to host the opening of a new two-part exhibition in their space, Fragments: Then and Now. This exhibit features the work of two architecture studios from the School, each working in a different medium, one with wood and one with plaster. Students in both studios were instructed to follow a similar process – study an original historic piece, rebuild/recast it, and then reimagine it to inspire the creation of a contemporary design.
This wall display contains a selection of original wooden parts from the Victorian houses of Buffalo, as well as re-imagined versions of those elements. Photo by Douglas Levere
The wooden portion of the exhibit is mounted on a white wall near the entrance, positioned in threes to convey the steps of the process – original, rebuilt, reimagined. These decorative artifacts, mostly from the Victorian era, were salvaged from local Buffalo homes with help from ReUse Action and Sloan’s Antiques. “Think of it as a nod to the Victorian-era pattern books,” Maher suggested, “which were these marvelous books from 1830 to 1900 where all these ideas about designs for houses were accrued and presented…this is a way of reinterpreting that legacy and recognizing that knowing how to build something is essential to designing.”
In 2015, the church's plaster ceiling above the east transept and altar was removed due to excessive water damage. These pieces were saved and were studied and re-interpreted by UB architecture students. Photo by Douglas Levere
“I want people to come into a world excited about architecture, excited about the built environment, and to recognize pieces of themselves in the things that they see and to take that back into the world in a way that’s meaningful to them.”
Decorative plaster pieces were first replicated using rubber molds. They were then re-imagined utilizing the form, history, and symbolism of each piece as well as the process of casting to propose new ornamental possibilities. Photo by Douglas Levere
The plaster studies are exhibited in a separate “plaster room,” arranged on wooden shelves and illuminated by fluorescent tube lights that help to bring out the intricate detail in the designs. The historical plaster pieces are portions of the church’s ceiling, taken down over a decade ago after suffering years of neglect. “In fact, when I first came into the building, there were two giant frozen waterfalls over the transept,” Maher explained. “So, all that plaster had to come down and I saved the significant nuggets, many of which you can see stacked up in the shelving. That room is really a nod to the embodied energy and power of those fragments that came crashing to the ground one day.” Maher and the students worked with Buffalo Architectural Casting to study those plaster pieces, recast them, and then reimagine them to create their own designs.
For the UB students, the benefits of this exercise were multifaceted. The first part of the process worked to build skills in historic research, understanding, and symbolic significance and helped them to appreciate the historical value of the pieces. Through this approach, the students considered why the pieces looked the way they did, what the original construction methods might have been, and how they could be built using contemporary tools and technical processes.
The second part of the process put that last consideration into practice as they developed the skills necessary to replicate a new version. In line with the School’s learn-by-doing philosophy, using the tools available in the School’s fabrication workshop to work with the wood and plaster materials helped the students to understand complex, and sometimes lengthy, processes and to appreciate the value of a tactile way of learning.
The wooden pieces - ornate details salvaged from Buffalo houses - have been studied, replicated, and transformed into new compositions. Photo by Douglas Levere
For the third part of the process, the students got to work their creative muscles, taking the principles learned from the study and replication portions and using them to create something new and relevant in the context of 2025. Sowmya Vangari (MArch ‘25) gleaned inspiration from the impeccable craftsmanship of the original plaster, apparent from the detail that was still evident even after so many years. “I was especially struck by the intricacy of the details, which inspired me to bring that same level of refinement to my final model,” she explained. “That’s why I chose to make it as symmetrical and clean as possible. It became a way of connecting historical methods with my own interpretation of form and detail.”
But the impact of this project went beyond just the technical for Vangari. “This experience shifted my mindset about design possibilities,” she shared. “Reinterpreting the past through a contemporary lens showed me how design can become a way to connect across time. Studying historic plaster pieces revealed just how intricate, bold, and imaginative design can be, and reminded me that if something has been crafted before, it can be done again. It gave me the confidence to embrace complexity in both form and material.”
Dennis Maher is a clinical assistant professor in the UB Department of Architecture and founder of Assembly House 150. Photo by Douglas Levere
Reminiscent of other forms of art, when asked what he hopes viewers will take away from their experience, Maher expressed that he sees the impact as highly individual. “I want people to come into a world excited about architecture, excited about the built environment, and to recognize pieces of themselves in the things that they see and to take that back into the world in a way that’s meaningful to them.”
To view these works and more, you can visit the Assembly House 150 website to book a tour.
Stay tuned for more this summer, as the School partners with AH150 to host a camp that introduces high school students to architecture and the city through the Model City Buildings Summer Career Exploration program. The program intends to bring together architecture, art, design, and the building trades to build skills through a project-based curriculum. Participants will also learn about the discipline and profession of architecture and visit important buildings and landscapes in Buffalo.