In 1915, Albert Haasis christened his victorian mansion on East Grand Avenue “Chetstone.” A chemist and executive of the Dixon Pencil Company, Albert’s interest in horticulture kept five gardeners busy manicuring the grounds and taking care of the peacocks that paraded through the gardens. Despite this new name, the neighbors still knew the house as the Moody place. Forty years earlier, in 1875, Dr. Mary Blair Moody built the house and, as the first female physician in the area, practiced medicine here. Dr. Moody was also the first female graduate from University of Buffalo, and her grandson later gained prominence as U.S. Senator from Michigan in 1951.

Over the years, Chetstone has been a home to unique people and great creativity. Albert Haasis displayed an impressive art collection, and subsequent resident George Lam played with the Yale New Haven symphony.

Unfortunately, three decades of neglect have left the house in dire need of revitalization. On June 30, 2003 we closed on the house and left our realtor’s office carrying the property’s title, a skeleton key, and our ambition to restore Chetstone by giving attention to the house’s history and traditions. We unlocked the door and immediately headed towards the windows, opening dusty shutters and unclasping the rusty safety pins that held the curtains closed for so long.

Our goal: let the light in.

This remains our vision as we prime and paint, scrub and sweep. We work towards establishing a home based on the principles of History, Community, Creativity, and Hospitality.

We dream of transforming the third floor into a studio space where the creative arts can be utilized to awaken, inspire, or disturb people into action on behalf of the weak, the abused, and the forgotten. Catalyst Studios is currently operating from 475 Quinnipiac Avenue.