Doors Open Niagara: Buffalo City Hall

I spent Saturday in Buffalo to check out Doors Open Niagara 2007. I was in town to see two Art Deco gems that I have been waiting a long time to visit. Here you can see photos of my visit to Buffalo City Hall, one of my most favourite Art Deco buildings, if not my most favourite building of all time.

(Photos of that other gem, the abandoned Buffalo Central Terminal, will be in a separate thread)










O Canada!



13th floor council chamber










Magnificent sunburst skylight


Fasces decoration on door. I guess the fasces symbol, also used by Fascists, wasn't such a negative symbol back then when the building was designed.














What's behind the doors on either side of the mayor's seat? A literal "backroom", dimly lit, with cabinets storing what I think are various council documents and bylaws.






The fasces pop up again inside the main doorway to the council chamber

Now... up to the observation deck via an elevator to the 25th floor, then stairs to the 28th floor.






Niagara Falls is off on the horizon










Buffalo Central Terminal is in the distance








The outdoor observation deck is very narrow, often with only the width for one person to stand


Closeup of the tiling that City Hall is famous for








Huge wind farm in the South Buffalo/Lackawanna area








HSBC rules this town! It has the tallest building and the biggest arena named after it.


Louis Sullivan's Guaranty Building






Heading back down to ground level...

A true beauty! Thanks for the pictures.

Great pics, wylie. Buffalo's got several architectural beauties... this one's probably the king.

Wow, that's spectacular. Worth visiting Buffalo for even.

Fasces were a Roman symbol of government authority. They were very popular as a motif in US government buildings at least until WWII. The US Capitol is awash in them. The mace of the House of Representatives is in the form of the fasces.

Those street lamps remind me of the ones found on Dundas in the Junction. Could they be from the same manufacturer?

Buffalo City Hall pics..Nice!

Wylie: Good BUF City Hall Pics! Buffalo CH is the 2nd largest in the USA behind Philadelphia's in size-the outdoor deck pics are good! I remember going up there at least twice in the 80s and I recall back then the deck was protected by steel bars and had quite a few large spiders and webs up there-I do not recall the glass up there at all. In the DT shots HSBC at one time was known as Marine Midland Bank-the Building as well as the HSBC Center was once known as such. Yes- BUF CH is an art deco classic as said! LI MIKE

Amazing City Hall. I think I wanna view the whole building.