City Hall

65 Niagara Square

Buffalo, New York

City Hall was built by the John W. Cowper Company which was the same firm that earlier had built the Statler Hotel and The Buffalo Athletic Club.  The total cost to build City Hall was $6.8 million dollars including architect fees making it, at the time, one of the most costly and largest city halls in the country.  

Ground was broken on September 16, 1929 and the corner stone was laid on May 14, 1930.  The building was completed for occupancy on November 10, 1931 even though parts of the building were occupied as early as September 1931.  The building was dedicated in July of 1932 and has 32 floors.  There are 1,520 windows from the first floor to the twenty-fifth floor.  An interesting design feature is all of the windows open inward.  It takes approximately ten days to clean them all, from the inside.  

There are eight elevators to the 13th floor and four elevators to the 25th floor.  Curtis Elevator Co., the oldest active elevator company in the country furnished the elevators.  Otis Elevator Co., now the largest elevator company in the world, supplied additional elevators added later.  There are 143 clocks regulated by a master clock in the basement. Originally, it had 375 telephones with a master switchboard.  

The importance of this Art Deco masterpiece is immediately relevant upon viewing its command of the downtown Buffalo area and the waterfront.  The height of the domed ceiling makes quite an impression upon entering the main lobby.  City Hall is so rich in artwork there is much more throughout the building though the most significant murals are in the first floor lobby. 

Access to the Council Chamber is located on the thirteenth floor.  As you enter the Chamber, it is very difficult not to be taken in by the bright ceiling which features a very large stained glass piece. It is an example of Indian artistry and is in the form of a sunburst. The Council Chambers is probably one of the finest Chambers of its kind in the country.  The Chamber can seat 383 and the room is acoustically treated making the room perfect in the way of sound, even without a microphone.

When City Hall was designed and later opened, the fashions of the day favored men's hats.  The derby hat influenced the City Hall planners to the degree every chair was equipped with a hat holder under each seat.

In 1999, City Hall was put on the State and National Register of Historic Places.