Buffalo City Hall Tour

Buffalo City Hall

Visitors were shown the artwork and architecture of Buffalo City Hall during a free guided walking tour on Monday.

After gathering everyone waiting in the main lobby, David Rock, the tour guide, brought everyone outside to speak about the main face of the building. After returning inside, Rock pointed out a few of the murals on the first floor of City Hall.

One of the murals pointed out was called, “Frontiers Unfettered by Any Frowning Fortress.” 

It showed a woman standing as a central figure between Canada and the United States.

After learning about some of the murals, the tour was then taken to the second floor where the mayor’s office resides. The front of the room was gated off from the back part, and there were portraits hung all around the office of past mayors.

Sunburst Ceiling in the Common Council Chamber

The next area the visitors were brought to was the Common Council Chamber. The front doors were locked, so the tour guide brought everyone in through an alternative route. 

Rock said the chamber was modeled under a Roman Senate style including how the stands looked and the columns that could be seen underneath the sunburst glass ceiling.

The last place the visitors experienced was the Observation deck located on the 28^th floor. 

The elevator stopped at the 25^th floor, so everyone had to walk up the remaining three flights of stairs. After entering the observation deck, people were able to choose to walk around in a complete circle either inside or outside. Inside, there were windows overlooking different parts of the city. Outside, there was a glass case surrounding the view of the city. 

This allowed people to see many views of Buffalo from 28 floors up in the air.

“We have these public treasures here in Buffalo that people don’t know much about and we have a rich architectural and historical legacy here that’s leftover from a much more prosperous time,” said Rock. “You come on the tour to learn about the history of the city, to hopefully learn a little about architecture, and to enjoy the grandeur of the place.”

Rock said that the main architectural style throughout the building was Art Deco. There were also many different influences throughout the building including Egyptian, and Roman.

View of Buffalo from the Observation Deck

“There isn’t many other places people can get such a view of the city,” said Nathan Wang, a visitor from China. “The building is so old and historical.”

Wang said that from being so high up in the building, he’s able to see the skyline of Buffalo.

“The first floor is really popular,” said Derek Koonce, a maintenance worker for City Hall. “People come in and go crazy from seeing the artwork and architecture. They don’t expect it.”

Buffalo City Hall Tours last about an hour every weekday city hall is open. The tour is from noon until 1 p.m. The walking tour includes walking up and down stairs at various times. City Hall is located in downtown Buffalo, in Niagara Square.