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• SAMPLE BOOK PAGE •  City Hall, Buffalo, NY
W
ith the stock market crash in October 1929, America entered the Great
Depression, which hit Buffalo particularly hard. Yet from 1929 to 1931,
one of the most lavish and monumental buildings in Buffalo was
erected––the 32-story, 566,313-square-foot City Hall at 65 Niagara
Square. Its extravagant decorative details and enormous size are
totally contrary to the economic austerity of the period. Today,
Buffalo City Hall is regarded as one of the finest Art Deco public
buildings in America. It is a credit to the city of Buffalo that it was
accomplished in the worst years of the Depression. Despite its massive
size, the building displays a graceful, towering presence. At any
moment, you expect Superman to swoop from its stylish and futuristic
façade. The designer for this great architectural achievement is New
York City architect, John J. Wade, who was not shy about creating a
building to express a brighter and noble future for Buffalo. He said
that the structure “expresses primarily the masculinity, power, and
purposeful energy of a great industrial community.” The building of
gray granite, limestone, and warm sandstone is handsomely adorned with
glazed ceramic tiles that add brilliant color to the drum of the
tower’s glass dome. Other decoration celebrates Buffalo’s position as
the Queen City of the Lakes. In the carved frieze above the eight giant
columns of the main entrance, there are 21 figures tracing Buffalo’s
preëminence in transportation, lake shipping, steel, petrochemicals,
electricity production, architecture, education, and quality of life
for its citizens. The great bronze doors of the entrance display
symbols of the Indian tribes that once ruled this area. Inside, the
lobby reflects the city’s energy and vitality with marble floors,
mosaic ceilings, and picturesque murals. The Common Council chamber on
the 13th floor is illuminated by an enormous semicircular sunburst
skylight. |
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