Ellicott Square Building

The Ellicott Square Building is a historic office complex, completed in 1896, located in Buffalo, New York.

Ellicott Square Building
General information
StatusComplete
TypeOffice
Location283 Main Street, Buffalo, NY, United States
Completed1896
Cost$3.5m (1896)[1]
OwnerEllicott Development Co.
Height
Roof164.00 ft (49.99 m)
Technical details
Floor count10
Floor area447,000 sq ft (41,527.7 m2)
Design and construction
ArchitectDaniel Burnham & Co
DeveloperEllicott Development Co.

History
Ellicott Square Building from Main Street

The Ellicott Square Building was designed by Charles Atwood of D. H. Burnham & Company, and completed in May, 1896. At the time of its completion, it was the largest office building in the world.[2] In 1896 and 1897, the building was the site of Edisonia Hall and the Vitascope Theater, the earliest known dedicated motion picture theater in the world.[3]

At 10 stories high—with the capacity to support 10 more floors—and 447,000 square feet (41,500 m2),[4] the Ellicott Square Building was the largest office building in the world by floor area until 1908, with the opening of the Hudson Terminal buildings in New York City. It was built at a cost of $3.5 million in less than one year. The building was named after Joseph Ellicott, the planner and surveyor who laid out the then-village of Buffalo.

Ellicott Square Building interior court
Ellicott Square Building first floor elevators

The mantra of architect Daniel Burnham was "make no little plans, they have no magic to stir men’s blood; think big." Built in the Italian Renaissance style, the exterior of the Ellicott Square Building is made of granite, iron, and terra cotta with a veneer of pearl gray brick. The majestic interior courtyard contains a marble mosaic floor designed by William Winthrop Kent and James A. Johnson. Imported from Italy, the 23 million pieces of marble on the mosaic depict sun symbols from civilizations around the world. The interior court resembles that of the Rookery Building in Chicago.[5]

Ellicott Square Building tenth floor elevator buttons

There are broad stairs on either side and a glass roof in an ornamental steel frame provides natural light. The building features ornate glove lamps, intricate columns, carefully proportioned classical features gracing doorways, marble and brass to trim iron and stone.

The beautiful lobby of the Ellicott Square Building remains a favorite gathering spot for political rallies, weddings and social functions. In 1984 it was used for hotel scenes in the movie The Natural.

The terracotta cornice was removed in 1971, and, soon thereafter, most of the forty lion heads on the exterior were also removed.

The building is currently managed by Ellicott Development Co., the company founded and owned by Carl Paladino.[6]

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See also

Notes
  1. "Ellicott Square Building: 295 Main St". Ellicott Development. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  2. "Ellicott Square Building". Emporis.com. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  3. Sommer, Mark. "Another groundbreaker for Buffalo." Buffalo News, November 25, 2007
  4. Manual of the Common Council: containing a sketch of Buffalo ... the city government ... municipal officers ... (Google eBook), 1897, pg. 25
  5. "Ellicott Square Building - History". Buffalo Free-Net. Retrieved 2008-02-29.
  6. Ellicott Square Building, 295 Main St., Buffalo. Ellicott Development Web page. Retrieved June 4, 2014.

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