Certification of the Joseph Ellicott Historic District
Buffalo, Erie County
Statement of Significance:
The Joseph Ellicott Historic District represents the nucleus of Ellicott's 1804 street plan
for the village of Buffalo, originally named New Amsterdam. Influenced by L'Enfant's
plan for Washington, D. C., Ellicott designed eight streets radiating at equal angles from
Niagara Square the designated hub of the city. Incorporated in 1832, the Niagara Square
area became the chief residential area of the city. Downtown Buffalo developed along
the radiating streets first as a village and then as the central business district of the much
larger city. The district contains architectural examples of four phases of Buffalo's
history from the early nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. As the core of the
city, the historic district retains a significant number of high-style civic, religious and
commercial structures, many of which were designed by local and/or nationally
prominent architects. Although the area has constantly changed and developed, it retains
a sense of cohesiveness through the overall quality and integrity of its architecture and
the maintenance of its historic street pattern.
From its start as a planned village in 1804, Buffalo grew slowly until 1825 when it was
designated the western terminus of the Erie Canal. By 1830, Buffalo was the
shipbuilding capital of the Great Lakes area. In 1843, the railroad established the city as
a transportation center and the subsequent development of cattle, meatpacking, and
lumber industries brought prosperity to the area. Buffalo continued to grow throughout
the nineteenth century and by 1860, it was regarded as the nations grain center. The city
experienced its greatest boom in development following the Civil War and by the mid1880's, it was considered the nation's leading inland port, earning the nickname the
"Queen City of the Great Lakes." In 1900, Buffalo was the eighth largest city in the
United States. Buffalo continued to prosper until after World War II, when, like most
large American cities, it suffered a decline in population.
The district contains examples of architecture that spans four distinct periods of the city's
history from the early nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. The first period is
marked by the rebuilding of the village in 1815 after it was burned by the British during
the War of 1812 and ending with the Panic of 1837. The Title Guarantee Building (110
Franklin Street) is the oldest building in downtown constructed by Benjamin Rathbun.
Build in 1833, in the Greek Revival style, it is the only remaining example from the fiftyone buildings constructed by Rathbun.
The second period in Buffalo's history commenced with the advent of the railroad in
1843 and the city's new role as a transportation center and grain depot. Rapid
development occurred in the mid-1850' before the Panic of 1857. The Balcom/Chandler
house at 91 Niagara Street is the only Italian Villa style building and the only surviving
residence that surrounded Niagara Square during the period following city incorporation.
The commercial buildings erected during this period exhibited the heavier and richer
detailing characteristic of the mid-nineteenth century Victorian styles. The group of
buildings at 76-92 Pearl Street are among the last remnants of the cast-iron storefronts
and decorative details. The Dennis Building (251-257 Main Street) a five-story Italian
Renaissance style building, constructed ca. 1873 is the only surviving example of a
building with a cast-iron façade.
During the second building phase of Buffalo's history, one of the foremost American
architects of the time, Richard Upjohn, built what he considered to be his greatest work-St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral (113 Pearl Street). The 1849 early English Gothic Revival
style cathedral has asymmetrical elevations that are distinguished by lancet windows and
gothic spires (NR listed 1973). Another fine example of a Gothic style church is St.
Joseph's Cathedral (50 Franklin Street) build in ca. 1851 by Patrick C. Keeley. These
two buildings are the only surviving ecclesiastical remnants of mid-nineteenth century in
downtown Buffalo, which was distinguished by its churches, small office blocks and
residences.
The area within the historic district did not evolve into a central business area until the
post-Civil War era. A rapidly expanding and diversified economy along with a dramatic
increase in population contributed to this phase of the city's development. Frederick Law
Olmsted's parks and parkways system (NR listed 1982) was designed between 1868 and
1898, that led to the development of residential communities to the east and north of the
city. The introduction of the electric streetcar in the late 1880's led to further
decentralization of the downtown.
With the population growth and demand for expanded services, the city came under
pressure to consolidate the functions of city and county government in one central
location. During this time, the downtown buildings grew larger, heavier and richer with
the use of detail characteristics of the Victorian age. The Old County Hall (96 Franklin
Street), formerly City and County Hall was designed by the prominent Rochester
architect Andrew J. Warner in 1871 (NR 1976). The elaborate High Victorian Gothic
style building is distinguished by its symmetrical façade and seven-story bell tower. Old
City and County Hall was just one example of the new building types, which changed the
face of Buffalo's downtown.
A new and more sophisticated age opened in Buffalo with the development of new
construction techniques involving structural steel resulting in taller, larger office
buildings prior to the turn of the century. The Main Post Office and Federal Office
Building (123 Ellicott Street), built in 1894 was a typical example of the third phase of
Buffalo's development. The massive Beaux-Arts style building features pink Maine
granite, a Gothic tower 244 feet tall, pavilions, galleries and a four-story interior skylight
court (NR listed 1972). The Dunn Building (110 Pearl Street), designed by Edward B.
Green, represents another example of the late nineteenth century building techniques. In
marked contrast to the exuberant style and sprawling form of the Post Office Building,
the refined Renaissance style Dunn Building build in 1894 is extremely narrow and
stands ten stories tall. The building's narrow width, a result of its irregular site
necessitated the use of exterior load bearing masonry walls to help support the internal
steel frame.
In the 1890's Buffalo's two best-known buildings were designed by Chicago architects.
In 1895, D. H. Burnham designed the Ellicott Square Building (295 Main Street), an
elaborate terra-cotta Beaux-Arts exterior, which conceals the large interior court. When
constructed, the Ellicott Square Building was the largest office building in the world.
The following year, 1896, Louis Sullivan designed the Guaranty Building (28 Church
Street), recognized as one of the finest examples of the skyscraper-building form with a
terra-cotta façade that is embellished with Sullivan's rich foliate and geometric ornament.
The building was designated a NHL in 1975.
Architecture in Buffalo at the turn-of-the-century until World War I was more typical of
the mid-west that the east, with its grain elevators and Chicago skyscrapers. Light
manufacturing buildings, such as the Merit Building (35 Franklin Street), built in 1915, is
also characteristic of Chicago architecture. Franklin Street had become one of the
dividing lines between the downtown business district and dockside manufacturers to the
south.
In 1907, Niagara Square, the centerpiece of Ellicott's plan, that was redesigned by
Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1870's to reaffirm its position as the main thoroughfare
within the city underwent a redesign by Chicago planner and architect D. H. Burnham,
who recommended that it become the site of government buildings. The center of
Niagara Square contains an obelisk with fountains, commemorating President
McKinley's assassination at the Pan-American Exposition held in Buffalo in 1901.
The fourth phase in Buffalo's downtown building history occurred from 1920 until 1948.
The building boom beginning in the 1920's again altered the character of Buffalo's central
business district in terms of scale, function and image. The new construction resulted in
large prominent civic buildings in the characteristic styles of the early twentieth century.
From 1920 to 1935, Niagara Square was finally developed as the governmental hub of
the city. An excellent example of Neo-classical styling, the New York State Office
Building (65 Court Street) was constructed in 1928 by Green and Sons Architects. The
following year Niagara Square became the site of one of the most outstanding Art Deco
public buildings in the country. Designed by the New York City firm of Dietel and
Wade, Buffalo's City Hall is distinguished by its monumental proportions and twentynine-story tower (NR 1999). The construction of City Hall also represented the first
major alteration to Ellicott's 1804 plan since it blocked Court Street on the west side of
the square. In 1935 the United States Court House (64 Court Street) was build to the
southeast of the square completing its development as a government complex. The Art
Deco building is marked by its stylized scroll motif and two-story setback. In the
northeast corner of the square, stands the Statler Hotel (107-109 Delaware Avenue), built
in 1921-23 by the well-known New York City hotel designers, George B. Pose and Sons.
The twenty-story building is one of downtown Buffalo's first modern hotel buildings and
is an excellent example of state-of-the-art urban hotel design of the early twentieth
century. The Second Renaissance Revival style hotel and the Georgina Revival style
theater are significant as an early twentieth century hotel/entertainment complex. The
Former Erlanger Theater (120 Delaware Avenue) and the Statler Hotel were both
planned/joint venture between A. L. Elsworth M. Statler, who chose Buffalo, because it
was his home city and where he began his successful hotel career.
One of the most prolific architects in Buffalo's history, Edward B. Green, who with his
partner, William Sydney Wicks headed the leading architectural firms in the city at the
turn-of-the-century. The firm, whose office was in the Title Guarantee Building (110
Franklin Street), designed several buildings in the district: the Fidelity Building,
1902/1926 (284 Main Street) and the Marine Trust Building, 1913 (237 Main Street).
The firm designed several of the most prominent buildings in the district including the
Buffalo Athletic Club, 1922 in the Neo-classical style (69 Delaware Avenue); the United
States Court House Building (64 Court Street) and the New York State Office Building
(65 Court Street). After the death of Edward B. Green, Jr. in 1931, the firm became
Green and James and they designed the Erie County Sheriff's Department Holding Center
(10 Delaware Avenue) in the Art Deco style in 1938.
The Depression and World War II halted building activity in the city. When constructed
resumed, the focus had shifted from the downtown area to the rapidly developing
suburbs. Since the 1960's, however, the attention has slowly returned to downtown area.
The Joseph Ellicott Downtown Historic District is architecturally and historically
significant as the epic center of the city of Buffalo, which throughout its history has seen
continued development, while maintaining much of Ellicott's 1804 street plan.
Claire L. Ross, SHPO staff, 8/13/02