BUFFALO, N.Y. — What does it take to set the clock back to the late 1800s? Hours, days, weeks and even years of hard work. A Buffalo couple is putting in that effort to restore a historic Virginia Street home outside and in, one meticulous square foot at a time.

The scaffolding was removed after rehabbing the exterior, just in time for spring buds to blossom and the final snowflakes to fall.

What You Need To Know

  • A Buffalo couple is restoring their home to the way it was in the late 1800s

  • The project is anticipated to be complete in about a year

  • The owners will then welcome people in as a café and art gallery

The beginning of summer marked one year since Spectrum News 1 began filming an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at this renovation project. Hall Chateau dates back to the late 1800s.

Christiano Pereira and his husband David DePasquale are now turning the home back to the way it looked over a century ago. When Brazilian artist Pereira started this project, the ornate workmanship was so chipped that many would have considered it beyond repair. But that didn’t deter Pereira.

“The ironic part is that my goal is for someone to look at the paintings and have the feeling that nobody but the original painter ever touched them,” Pereira said. “I spend all this time working on the paintings, but I don’t want anyone noticing that I did.”

As he worked, he admired a view that many never get to see up close, art located more than 12 feet high, which was painted over 100 years ago.

“I’m close to this painting and the only person who ever got close to this painting was the painter," Pereira explained. 

To restore the Hall Chateau paintings, first Pereira has to clean every single centimeter. This involves using a swab and carefully removing any old varnish. Careful is the key word, because overcleaning will forever erase the artistry. Then he gets to work restoring the paintings.

Weeks go by as Pereira continues doing the restoration work until a special visitor knocks on the door.

Sussan Giallombardo, the daughter of the building’s prior owner, is so impressed with the couple’s restoration work that she gave them relics from the home to showcase.

“I have an album from 1922 from Europe and two sketch books that were in the attic," Giallombardo said. 

“Susan, thank you for bringing this,” DePasquale said to Giallombardo. “Cris and I are really infatuated with Howard Beach and anything he has done.”

The project is anticipated to be complete in about a year, at which time the owners will welcome people in as a café and art gallery.