File:MOCHA Buffalo - fmr George W. Smith House - Buffalo, New York - 20210919.jpg

English: MOCHA Center of Buffalo, 200 South Elmwood Avenue, Buffalo, New York, September 2021. A fine example of the Italianate style of architecture that was all the rage in the middle 19th century and a contributing property to the locally- and NRHP-listed West Village Historic District, the most distinguishing characteristics to be seen here are the prominent decorative brackets that lend support to the overhanging eaves of the roof, the foliate carvings on the lintels above the second-story windows, and the exquisite ironwork that figures on the front porch and steps. The building was first used as a private residence, the exact date of whose construction is uncertain: the first historical record of it dates to 1857, when it's indicated to be the home of one Thomas A. C. Cochrane. (The historic plaque on the front wall and the inventory form filed with the New York State Division for Historic Preservation both say it was built in 1854, which seems as plausible a timeframe as any.) At any rate: despite the fact that it was "a desirable residence... in perfect order" and "ha[d] all the modern conveniences, hot and cold water baths, furnace, &c." (this according to various classified ads in the Buffalo Courier), the house was sold and resold repeatedly in the earliest era of its existence, passing through the hands of four different owners in as many years. Its first long-term resident was George W. Smith (c. 1814-1872), a lumber dealer who eventually went to work for the railroad as a sales agent. It was he who was responsible for the addition of the corner bay that's seen to the left of the principal façade, with its carved wooden Doric pilaster strips interspersed between the windows. Smith lived in the house from 1864 until his death. The building was used later as a rooming house, but was vacant and derelict upon its purchase in 2000 by AIDS Community Services, who thoroughly renovated it to the tune of $300,000 and inaugurated its new headquarters there three years later. Nowadays, successor organization Evergreen Health has its offices in the former Roanoke Hotel one door down at the corner of West Chippewa Street, but continues to use the building for a variety of purposes including as home of MOCHA Buffalo (the acronym means "Men of Color Health Awareness"), an organization founded in 1996 with a mission of "educat[ing LGBTQ+] Black and Latino men in Buffalo about living a sex-positive life". For a time, Evergreen also leased part of the space to the Western New York Pride Center for use as their offices.