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Coordinates: 42°53′11.73″N 78°52′45.49″W / 42.8865917°N 78.8793028°W / 42.8865917; -78.8793028
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{{Short description|Skyscraper and municipal building in Buffalo, New York}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}}
{{Infobox NRHP
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Buffalo City Hall
| name = Buffalo City Hall
| nrhp_type =
| nrhp_type =
| image = Buffalo City Hall HDR.jpg
| image = View of Buffalo City Hall (cropped).jpg
| caption = Buffalo's City Hall from [[Niagara Square]]
| caption = Buffalo's City Hall
| location = 65 Niagara Square, [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[New York (state)|NY]]
| location = 65 Niagara Square, [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]], [[New York (state)|NY]]
| coordinates = {{coord|42|53|11.73|N|78|52|45.49|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{coord|42|53|11.73|N|78|52|45.49|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| built = {{start date and age|1930}}
| locmapin = New York#USA
⚫
| architect = Dietel, Wade & Jones
| built = 1932
⚫
| architecture = Art Deco
⚫
| architect = Dietel, Wade & Jones
⚫
| added = January 15, 1999
⚫
| architecture = Art Deco
⚫
| area = less than one acre
⚫
| added = January 15, 1999
⚫
| refnum = 98001611<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2006a}}</ref>
⚫
| area = less than one acre
| governing_body = Local
⚫
| refnum = 98001611 <ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2006a}}</ref>
}}
}}
'''Buffalo City Hall''' is the [[city hall|seat for municipal government]] in the [[Buffalo, New York|City of Buffalo]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. Located at 65 [[Niagara Square]], the 32-story [[Art Deco]] building was completed in 1931 by Dietel, Wade & Jones.
'''Buffalo City Hall''' is the [[city hall|seat for municipal government]] in the [[Buffalo, New York|City of Buffalo]], [[New York (state)|New York]]. Located at 65 [[Niagara Square]], the 32-story [[Art Deco]] building was completed in 1931 by Dietel, Wade & Jones.


The {{convert|378|ft|m|1|adj=mid|-tall}} building<ref>[http://www.emporis.com/application/?nav=building&lng=3&id=buffalocityhall-buffalo-ny-usa Buffalo City Hall at emporis.com]</ref> ({{convert|398|ft|m|1|disp=sqbr}} when measured from street level to the tip of the tower<ref name=Buff_CH_hist>{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/Mayor/Home/Leadership/CityStatsandFacts/CityHallHistory |title=City Hall History |publisher=City of Buffalo |author=DiNatale, Tony |accessdate=August 5, 2016}}</ref>) is one of the largest and tallest municipal buildings in the United States and is also one of the tallest buildings in Western New York. It was designed by chief architect [[John Wade (architect)|John Wade]] with the assistance of [[George Dietel]]. The friezes were sculpted by [[Albert Stewart]] and the sculpture executed by [[Rene Paul Chambellan]].<ref name="nrhpinv_ny">{{cite web|url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ |title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) |publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] |format=Searchable database |accessdate=2016-07-01 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''Note:'' This includes {{cite web|url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/Uploads/ViewDoc.aspx?mode=A&id=36203&q=false |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Buffalo City Hall |accessdate=2016-07-01 |author=Claire L. Ross |format=PDF |date=October 1998 }} and [https://cris.parks.ny.gov/Uploads/ViewDoc.aspx?mode=A&id=36069&q=false ''Accompanying six photographs'']</ref>
The {{convert|398|ft|m|1|adj=mid|-tall}} building<ref name=Buff_CH_hist>{{cite web |url=http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/Mayor/Home/Leadership/CityStatsandFacts/CityHallHistory |title=City Hall History |publisher=City of Buffalo |author=DiNatale, Tony |access-date=August 5, 2016}}</ref> is one of the largest and tallest municipal buildings in the United States and is also one of the tallest buildings in Western New York. It was designed by chief architect [[John Wade (architect)|John Wade]] with the assistance of [[George Dietel]]. The friezes were sculpted by [[Albert Stewart (sculptor)|Albert Stewart]] and the sculpture executed by [[Rene Paul Chambellan]].<ref name="nrhpinv_ny">{{cite web|url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150701003048/http://cris.parks.ny.gov/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 1, 2015 |title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) |publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] |format=Searchable database |access-date=2016-07-01 }} ''Note:'' This includes {{cite web|url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/Uploads/ViewDoc.aspx?mode=A&id=36203&q=false |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Buffalo City Hall |access-date=2016-07-01 |author=Claire L. Ross |format=PDF |date=October 1998 }} and [https://cris.parks.ny.gov/Uploads/ViewDoc.aspx?mode=A&id=36069&q=false ''Accompanying six photographs'']</ref> The foyer features a bronze tablet honoring Mayor Roesch, created in 1937 by regional sculptor, William Ehrich.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ehrich.us/biography.html|title=Ehrich Biography|website=ehrich.us|access-date=2018-10-24}}</ref>


Buffalo City Hall was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1999.<ref name="nris"/>
Buffalo City Hall was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1999.<ref name="nris"/> It is located within the [[Joseph Ellicott Historic District]].


==History==
==History==
Line 26: Line 25:
===Previous buildings===
===Previous buildings===
[[File:Erie County Hall 2012.jpg|thumb|left|The 1875 Buffalo [[County and City Hall]]]]
[[File:Erie County Hall 2012.jpg|thumb|left|The 1875 Buffalo [[County and City Hall]]]]
In 1851, the city bought the property at the northwest corner of Church and Franklin streets in Buffalo to be used for the Mayor's office and other city offices.<ref name="Hitchcock">{{cite book|last1=Hitchcock|first1=introductions by Reyner Banham, Charles Beveridge, Henry Russell|title=Buffalo architecture : a guide|date=1982|publisher=MJJ Press|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=0262021722|edition=3. print.}}<!--|accessdate=16 February 2016--></ref> On this site, and constructed between 1871 and 1875, the city built a monumental granite structure designed by Rochester architect [[Andrew Jackson Warner]] (1833–1910). The building, now known as the [[County and City Hall]], featured three floors and a large, seven-story [[clock tower]]. It held offices for the City of Buffalo and Erie County.<ref name="nrhpinv_ny1">{{cite web|url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ |title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) |publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] |format=Searchable database |accessdate=2016-07-01 }}{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''Note:'' This includes {{cite web|url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/Uploads/ViewDoc.aspx?mode=A&id=29578&q=false |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: County and City Hall |accessdate=2016-07-01 |author=Raymond W. Smith |format=PDF |date=April 1976 }} and [https://cris.parks.ny.gov/Uploads/ViewDoc.aspx?mode=A&id=29580&q=false ''Accompanying five photographs'']</ref>
In 1851, the city bought the property at the northwest corner of Church and Franklin streets in Buffalo to be used for the Mayor's office and other city offices.<ref name="Hitchcock">{{cite book|last1=Hitchcock|first1=introductions by Reyner Banham, Charles Beveridge, Henry Russell|title=Buffalo architecture : a guide|date=1982|publisher=MJJ Press|location=Cambridge, Mass.|isbn=0262021722|edition=3. print.}}<!--|access-date=16 February 2016--></ref> On this site, and constructed between 1871 and 1875, the city built a monumental granite structure designed by Rochester architect [[Andrew Jackson Warner]] (1833–1910). The building, now known as the [[County and City Hall | Old County Hall]], has four floors and a large, seven-story [[clock tower]]. It held offices for both the City of Buffalo and Erie County.<ref name="nrhpinv_ny1">{{cite web|url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20150701003048/http://cris.parks.ny.gov/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 1, 2015 |title=Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS) |publisher=[[New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation]] |format=Searchable database |access-date=2016-07-01 }} ''Note:'' This includes {{cite web|url=https://cris.parks.ny.gov/Uploads/ViewDoc.aspx?mode=A&id=29578&q=false |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: County and City Hall |access-date=2016-07-01 |author=Raymond W. Smith |format=PDF |date=April 1976 }} and [https://cris.parks.ny.gov/Uploads/ViewDoc.aspx?mode=A&id=29580&q=false ''Accompanying five photographs'']</ref>


In 1920, the [[Buffalo Common Council]] decided, in light of the fact that the population of the city had quadrupled since the construction of County and City Hall forty-five years earlier, that a new building was needed to house the city government of Buffalo.<ref name="Conlin">{{cite book|last1=Conlin|first1=John H.|title=Buffalo City Hall: Americanesque Masterpiece|date=1993|publisher=Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier|location=Buffalo, NY|isbn=1879201143|pages=40|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Buffalo_City_Hall.html?id=LGoiIgAACAAJ|accessdate=16 February 2016}}</ref> [[Niagara Square]] was chosen as it is one of the central components of [[Joseph Ellicott (surveyor)|Joseph Ellicott]]'s original plan of 1804, laid out for the city of Buffalo. From this location, one can see the waterways of [[Lake Erie]] and the shores of [[Ontario]] in [[Canada]] as well as the rest of downtown Buffalo. On September 16, 1929, construction of the new City Hall began and the building was ultimately completed on November 10, 1931 with the dedication taking place the following summer, on July 1, 1932, commemorating the city's Centennial celebration.<ref name="Conlin"/>
In 1920, the [[Buffalo Common Council]] decided, in light of the fact that the population of the city had quadrupled since the construction of County and City Hall forty-five years earlier, that a new building was needed to house the city government of Buffalo.<ref name="Conlin">{{cite book|last1=Conlin|first1=John H.|title=Buffalo City Hall: Americanesque Masterpiece|date=1993|publisher=Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier|location=Buffalo, NY|isbn=1879201143|pages=40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LGoiIgAACAAJ|access-date=16 February 2016}}</ref> [[Niagara Square]] was chosen as it is one of the central components of [[Joseph Ellicott (surveyor)|Joseph Ellicott]]'s original plan of 1804, laid out for the City of Buffalo. From this location, one can see the waterways of [[Lake Erie]] and the shores of [[Ontario]] in [[Canada]] as well as the rest of downtown Buffalo. On September 16, 1929, construction of the new City Hall began and the building was ultimately completed on November 10, 1931 with the dedication taking place the following summer, on July 1, 1932, commemorating the city's Centennial celebration.<ref name="Conlin"/>


When the new City Hall opened and the city offices moved to the present building, the former 1875 County and City Hall became Erie County court offices and was used to hold important city records.<ref name="nrhpinv_ny1"/> The former county and city hall was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1976.<ref name="nris2">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>
When the new City Hall opened and the city offices moved to the present building, the former 1875 County and City Hall became Erie County court offices. It is also the home of the Erie County Clerk's office, where important county records are kept.<ref name="nrhpinv_ny1"/> The former county and city hall was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 1976.<ref name="nris2">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>


===Construction===
===Construction===
[[File:20080307 Niagara Square to Lafayette Square.JPG|thumb|right|View of [[Niagara Square]] in the foreground and [[Lafayette Square, Buffalo|Lafayette Square]] in the background from Buffalo City Hall during a [[snow flurry]]]]
[[File:20080307 Niagara Square to Lafayette Square.JPG|thumb|right|View of [[Niagara Square]] in the foreground and [[Lafayette Square (Buffalo, New York)|Lafayette Square]] in the background from Buffalo City Hall during a [[snow flurry]]]]
City Hall was built by the John W. Cowper Company, the same firm who built the [[Statler Hotel]] and the Buffalo Athletic Club, also on Niagara Square. The cost of building City Hall was $6,851,546.85 (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|6851547|1929}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) including the architect's fees, making it one of the costliest city halls in the country.<ref name=Buff_CH_hist/>
City Hall was built by the John W. Cowper Company, the same firm who built the [[Statler Hotel]] and the Buffalo Athletic Club, also on Niagara Square. The cost of building City Hall was $6,851,546.85 (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|6851547|1929}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) including the architect's fees, making it one of the costliest city halls in the country.<ref name=Buff_CH_hist/>


[[File:Buffalo City Hall - Council Chambers.jpg|thumb|left|City Council chambers]]
[[File:Buffalo City Hall - Council Chambers.jpg|thumb|left|City Council chambers]]
City Hall was Buffalo's tallest building from its construction until 1970 when [[One Seneca Tower]] was built.<ref>[http://www.buffalorealestatehomes.com/citytour/NY/Buffalo.php Buffalo city tour]</ref> City Hall has 32 stories, 26 of which offer usable office space. The total floor area is {{convert|566313|sqft|m2|0}} and the footprint of the site on Niagara Square is {{convert|71700|sqft|m2|0}}. There are 1,520 windows from the first to the 25th floor. A practical design feature is that all of them open inward, making window washers unnecessary. There are eight elevators to the 13th floor and four to the 25th floor. Curtis Elevator Company furnished the first elevators, with additional elevators supplied later by [[Otis Elevator Company]].
City Hall has 32 stories, 26 of which offer usable office space. The total floor area is {{convert|566313|sqft|m2|0}} and the footprint of the site on Niagara Square is {{convert|71700|sqft|m2|0}}. There are 1,520 windows from the first to the 25th floor. A practical design feature is that all of them open inward, making window washers unnecessary. There are eight elevators to the 13th floor and four to the 25th floor. Curtis Elevator Company furnished the first elevators, with additional elevators supplied later by [[Otis Elevator Company]].


There are 5,000 electrical outlets, 5,400 electrical switches and 21 motor driven ventilation fans. Approximately {{convert|110|mi}} of copper wire weighing 43 tons, and {{convert|47|mi}} or 180 tons of conduit pipe, serve the building, as well as {{convert|26|mi}} or five car loads of underfoot conduit. There are either 138 or 143 clocks (counts vary) regulated by a master clock in the basement and 37 fire alarm stations distributed throughout the building.
There are 5,000 electrical outlets, 5,400 electrical switches and 21 motor driven ventilation fans. Approximately {{convert|110|mi}} of copper wire weighing 43 tons, and {{convert|47|mi}} or 180 tons of conduit pipe, serve the building, as well as {{convert|26|mi}} or five car loads of underfoot conduit. There are either 138 or 143 clocks (counts vary) regulated by a master clock in the basement and 37 fire alarm stations distributed throughout the building.
Line 45: Line 44:
City Hall was designed and built with a non-powered air-conditioning system, taking advantage of strong prevailing winds from Lake Erie. Large vents were placed on the west side of the building to catch wind, which would then travel down ducts to beneath the basement, to be cooled by the ground. This cooled air was then vented throughout the building. Winds off the lake were usually strong enough to power air through this system.
City Hall was designed and built with a non-powered air-conditioning system, taking advantage of strong prevailing winds from Lake Erie. Large vents were placed on the west side of the building to catch wind, which would then travel down ducts to beneath the basement, to be cooled by the ground. This cooled air was then vented throughout the building. Winds off the lake were usually strong enough to power air through this system.


In the summer of 2006, Buffalo City Hall started undergoing renovations from the 13th floor all the way to the top as the flood lights were replaced; three years later, it was the south wing that started undergoing renovations of its own. Renovations were completed by 2009.<ref name="DiDonato">{{cite web|title=Buffalo City Hall|url=http://didonato.cc/?project-gallery/buffalo-city-hall.html|website=didonato.com|publisher=DiDonato Associates Engineering and Architecture, P.C.|accessdate=16 February 2016}}</ref>
In the summer of 2006, Buffalo City Hall started undergoing renovations from the 13th floor all the way to the top as the flood lights were replaced; three years later, it was the south wing that started undergoing renovations of its own. Renovations were completed by 2009.<ref name="DiDonato">{{cite web|title=Buffalo City Hall|url=http://didonato.cc/?project-gallery/buffalo-city-hall.html|website=didonato.com|publisher=DiDonato Associates Engineering and Architecture, P.C.|access-date=16 February 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160223114650/http://didonato.cc/?project-gallery%2Fbuffalo-city-hall.html|archive-date=February 23, 2016|df=mdy-all}}</ref>


== In popular culture ==
⚫
{{clear}}
In the American television series ''[[Avenue 5]]'', Buffalo City Hall is the new [[White House]].<ref name="Brady 2020">{{cite web|last=Brady|first=Erik|title=Is the White House in Buffalo's future? On HBO, it is.|url=https://buffalonews.com/2020/02/17/is-the-white-house-in-buffalos-future-on-hbo-it-is/|work=[[Buffalo News]]|publisher=buffalonews.com|date=17 February 2020|access-date=23 February 2020}}</ref>

===Folklore===

In 2018, an urban legend emerged, claiming that a fire broke out at City Hall at an unspecified time in the 19th or 20th centuries and all of the records that were housed in there at the time had been destroyed. Local historians later debunked the claim as false.<ref name="BuffaloResearch 2020">{{cite web|last=Van Ness|first=Cynthia|title=No, City Hall Has Not Lost Records in a Fire.|url=https://buffaloresearch.com/2020/08/30/buffalos-newest-urban-legend/|publisher=BuffaloResearch.com|date=30 August 2020|access-date=21 March 2022}}</ref>

⚫
{{Clear}}


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery mode=packed>
<gallery mode="packed">
Image:BuffaloCityHallfrom streeetlevel.jpg|City Hall viewed from downtown
Image:BuffaloCityHallfrom streeetlevel.jpg|City Hall viewed from afar
Image:Buffalo_City_Hall.jpg|View of upper floors Art Deco details.
Image:Buffalo City Hall, Buffalo, NY - IMG 3740.JPG|View of upper floors Art Deco details
File:Buffalo City Hall - Council Chambers 2.jpg|Detail of council chambers stained glass
File:Buffalo City Hall - Council Chambers 2.jpg|Detail of the council chamber's stained glass
Image:Buffalocityhall-reliefs.jpg|Relief sculptures over front entrance.
Image:Buffalocityhall-reliefs.jpg|Relief sculptures over front entrance
Image:Buffalocityhall-reliefsdetail.jpg|Detail of entrance relief sculptures.
Image:Buffalocityhall-reliefsdetail.jpg|Detail of entrance relief sculptures
Image:BuffaloEmblem.jpg|Relief of the [[Flag of Buffalo, New York|flag of Buffalo]] next to the main entrance
Image:Buffalo City Hall steps.jpg|Pillars at entrance with relief sculpture.
Image:Buffalo City Hall steps.jpg|Pillars at entrance with relief sculpture
Image:Buffalocityhall-dodgemural.jpg|[[William de Leftwich Dodge]] mural in east side of main entrance hall.
Image:Buffalocityhall-dodgemural.jpg|[[William de Leftwich Dodge]] mural in east side of main entrance hall
Image:DSCN4468 buffaloclevelandstatue e.jpg|Statue of the former Mayor of Buffalo and later 22nd and 24th [[President of the United States|President]], [[Grover Cleveland]] on northeast corner of the building.
Image:DSCN4468 buffaloclevelandstatue e.jpg|Statue of [[Grover Cleveland]]
Image:DSCN4470 buffalofillmorestatue e.jpg|Statue of former U.S. Representative (congressman) and New York Governor, then 13th [[President of the United States|President]] [[Millard Fillmore]] on southeast corner of the building.
Image:DSCN4470 buffalofillmorestatue e.jpg|[[Statue of Millard Fillmore]]
Image:McKinley Monument, Buffalo, NY - IMG 3702.JPG|25th President [[William McKinley]] Monument, assassinated in Buffalo, September 1901, nearby City Hall.
Image:McKinley Monument, Buffalo, NY - IMG 3702.JPG|[[William McKinley]] Monument
Image:Buffalo City Hall - aerial view taken in 1971.jpg|Aerial view of Buffalo City Hall and surrounding grounds taken in 1971.
Image:Buffalo City Hall - aerial view taken in 1971.jpg|Aerial view, 1971
</gallery>
</gallery>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[List of tallest buildings in Buffalo]]
*[[List of tallest buildings in Buffalo, New York]]


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Reflist|2}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons|Buffalo City Hall}}
{{Commons and category}}
*[http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/ City of Buffalo]
*[http://www.ci.buffalo.ny.us/ City of Buffalo]
*{{HABS |survey=NY-6033 |id=ny0568 |title=Buffalo City Hall, 65 Niagara Square, Buffalo, Erie County, NY |photos=27 |data=15 |cap=2}}
*{{HABS |survey=NY-6033 |id=ny0568 |title=Buffalo City Hall, 65 Niagara Square, Buffalo, Erie County, NY |photos=27 |data=15 |cap=2}}
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{{City of Buffalo, New York}}
{{City of Buffalo, New York}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York}}
{{Buildings in Buffalo timeline}}
{{s-start}}
{{Authority control}}
{{succession box
| before=[[Rand Building]]
| title=[[List of tallest buildings in Buffalo|Tallest Building in Buffalo]]
| years=1931&mdash;1970<br/><small>{{convert|398|ft}}</small>
| after=[[One HSBC Center]]
}}
{{s-end}}


[[Category:City and town halls in New York]]
[[Category:Architecture of Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Architecture of Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1931]]
[[Category:Government buildings completed in 1931]]
[[Category:City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in New York]]
[[Category:City and town halls on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Government of Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Government of Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in New York]]
[[Category:Historic American Buildings Survey in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:1930s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:1930s architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:Art Deco architecture in New York]]
[[Category:Art Deco architecture in New York (state)]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo, New York]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo, New York]]

Latest revision as of 21:37, 12 April 2024

Buffalo City Hall
Buffalo's City Hall
Location65 Niagara Square, Buffalo, NY
Coordinates42°53′11.73″N 78°52′45.49″W / 42.8865917°N 78.8793028°W / 42.8865917; -78.8793028
Arealess than one acre
Built1930; 94 years ago (1930)
ArchitectDietel, Wade & Jones
Architectural styleArt Deco
NRHP reference No.98001611[1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 15, 1999

Buffalo City Hall is the seat for municipal government in the City of Buffalo, New York. Located at 65 Niagara Square, the 32-story Art Deco building was completed in 1931 by Dietel, Wade & Jones.

The 398-foot-tall (121.3 m) building[2] is one of the largest and tallest municipal buildings in the United States and is also one of the tallest buildings in Western New York. It was designed by chief architect John Wade with the assistance of George Dietel. The friezes were sculpted by Albert Stewart and the sculpture executed by Rene Paul Chambellan.[3] The foyer features a bronze tablet honoring Mayor Roesch, created in 1937 by regional sculptor, William Ehrich.[4]

Buffalo City Hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.[1] It is located within the Joseph Ellicott Historic District.

History

[edit]

Previous buildings

[edit]
The 1875 Buffalo County and City Hall

In 1851, the city bought the property at the northwest corner of Church and Franklin streets in Buffalo to be used for the Mayor's office and other city offices.[5] On this site, and constructed between 1871 and 1875, the city built a monumental granite structure designed by Rochester architect Andrew Jackson Warner (1833–1910). The building, now known as the Old County Hall, has four floors and a large, seven-story clock tower. It held offices for both the City of Buffalo and Erie County.[6]

In 1920, the Buffalo Common Council decided, in light of the fact that the population of the city had quadrupled since the construction of County and City Hall forty-five years earlier, that a new building was needed to house the city government of Buffalo.[7] Niagara Square was chosen as it is one of the central components of Joseph Ellicott's original plan of 1804, laid out for the City of Buffalo. From this location, one can see the waterways of Lake Erie and the shores of Ontario in Canada as well as the rest of downtown Buffalo. On September 16, 1929, construction of the new City Hall began and the building was ultimately completed on November 10, 1931 with the dedication taking place the following summer, on July 1, 1932, commemorating the city's Centennial celebration.[7]

When the new City Hall opened and the city offices moved to the present building, the former 1875 County and City Hall became Erie County court offices. It is also the home of the Erie County Clerk's office, where important county records are kept.[6] The former county and city hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.[8]

Construction

[edit]
View of Niagara Square in the foreground and Lafayette Square in the background from Buffalo City Hall during a snow flurry

City Hall was built by the John W. Cowper Company, the same firm who built the Statler Hotel and the Buffalo Athletic Club, also on Niagara Square. The cost of building City Hall was $6,851,546.85 ($122 million in 2023 dollars[9]) including the architect's fees, making it one of the costliest city halls in the country.[2]

City Council chambers

City Hall has 32 stories, 26 of which offer usable office space. The total floor area is 566,313 square feet (52,612 m2) and the footprint of the site on Niagara Square is 71,700 square feet (6,661 m2). There are 1,520 windows from the first to the 25th floor. A practical design feature is that all of them open inward, making window washers unnecessary. There are eight elevators to the 13th floor and four to the 25th floor. Curtis Elevator Company furnished the first elevators, with additional elevators supplied later by Otis Elevator Company.

There are 5,000 electrical outlets, 5,400 electrical switches and 21 motor driven ventilation fans. Approximately 110 miles (180 km) of copper wire weighing 43 tons, and 47 miles (76 km) or 180 tons of conduit pipe, serve the building, as well as 26 miles (42 km) or five car loads of underfoot conduit. There are either 138 or 143 clocks (counts vary) regulated by a master clock in the basement and 37 fire alarm stations distributed throughout the building.

It was originally equipped with 375 telephones and a master switchboard. External illumination was provided from dusk to midnight by 369 flood lights with an average candlepower of 350.

City Hall was designed and built with a non-powered air-conditioning system, taking advantage of strong prevailing winds from Lake Erie. Large vents were placed on the west side of the building to catch wind, which would then travel down ducts to beneath the basement, to be cooled by the ground. This cooled air was then vented throughout the building. Winds off the lake were usually strong enough to power air through this system.

In the summer of 2006, Buffalo City Hall started undergoing renovations from the 13th floor all the way to the top as the flood lights were replaced; three years later, it was the south wing that started undergoing renovations of its own. Renovations were completed by 2009.[10]

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In the American television series Avenue 5, Buffalo City Hall is the new White House.[11]

Folklore

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In 2018, an urban legend emerged, claiming that a fire broke out at City Hall at an unspecified time in the 19th or 20th centuries and all of the records that were housed in there at the time had been destroyed. Local historians later debunked the claim as false.[12]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 15, 2006.
  2. ^ a b DiNatale, Tony. "City Hall History". City of Buffalo. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  3. ^ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2016. Note: This includes Claire L. Ross (October 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Buffalo City Hall" (PDF). Retrieved July 1, 2016. and Accompanying six photographs
  4. ^ "Ehrich Biography". ehrich.us. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
  5. ^ Hitchcock, introductions by Reyner Banham, Charles Beveridge, Henry Russell (1982). Buffalo architecture : a guide (3. print. ed.). Cambridge, Mass.: MJJ Press. ISBN 0262021722.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ a b "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on July 1, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2016. Note: This includes Raymond W. Smith (April 1976). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: County and City Hall" (PDF). Retrieved July 1, 2016. and Accompanying five photographs
  7. ^ a b Conlin, John H. (1993). Buffalo City Hall: Americanesque Masterpiece. Buffalo, NY: Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier. p. 40. ISBN 1879201143. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  8. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  9. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  10. ^ "Buffalo City Hall". didonato.com. DiDonato Associates Engineering and Architecture, P.C. Archived from the original on February 23, 2016. Retrieved February 16, 2016.
  11. ^ Brady, Erik (February 17, 2020). "Is the White House in Buffalo's future? On HBO, it is". Buffalo News. buffalonews.com. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Van Ness, Cynthia (August 30, 2020). "No, City Hall Has Not Lost Records in a Fire". BuffaloResearch.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
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