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Chapter 8 - Finger Lakes

Niagara Mohawk Building, Syracuse, NY

                 

All sites in this chapter:
  : Lorenzo, Lincklaen House, Cazenovia
  : Crouse College, Syracuse University
  : Niagara Mohawk Building, Syracuse
  : Syracuse Savings Bank
  : 1890 House, Cortland
  : William Henry Seward House, Auburn
  : Sage Hall, Cornell University,  Ithaca
  : McGraw Hall, Cornell University, Ithaca
  : Rose Hill Mansion, Geneva
  : Garrett Memorial Chapel, Keuka Lake
  : Granger Homestead, Canandaigua
  : Sonnenberg Mansion and Gardens, Canandaigua
  : Glen Iris Inn, Letchworth State Park


 

A rt Deco was the hot architectural style in America during the 1920s and 1930s. The style is characterized by features like smooth wall surfaces (often shiny metal), with zigzags, chevrons, and other geometric motifs as decorative elements on the façade. The geometric motifs usually emphasize verticality, which is often enhanced by adding towers and vertical projections. Even figure sculptures display an angular geometric approach. One of the best examples of Art Deco style in New York State, and arguably in America, is the Niagara Mohawk Building in Syracuse. This dramatic seven-story structure, which is the headquarters of the Niagara Mohawk Power Company at 300 Erie Boulevard West, was built in 1932. It was designed by the Buffalo architectural firm of Bley & Lyman and the Syracuse architect Melvin L. King. The façade is constructed of gray brick and stone in a series of setbacks, with additional cladding in stainless steel, aluminum, and black glass. The ornamentation is truly opulent. There are parallel bands, zigzags, and chevrons. At the base of the tower six stories above the entrance, there is a 28-foot-high statue of a male figure with outstretched arms from which rays of light emanate like giant wings. The stunning sculpture is called, “Spirit of Light.” Niagara Mohawk gleams, shimmering in daylight and glittering at night with interior lighting and powerful exterior flood illumination.