Yes, I know this one is a bit hard to love but love it I do. It is a brute but it has good bones. Dwell Magazine in this online story agrees with me. The building was built at a time of major urban renewal in this part of downtown. The paper originally occupied a very old and ornate commercial building on Main that stood in the way of the proposed Marine Midland Building (now HSBC). The old building was beautiful but it was the kind of beauty that was not so much appreciated in those days. It also was not the kind of building that said - "major metropolitan news paper". So the paper traded up to a new signature building by a signature architect.
The signature architect they chose was Edward Durrell Stone. Stone was a very prominent early modernist architect. One of his early major commissions was to design the new home of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC (interesting side factoid - in doing research for this story I stumbled on a site noting that A. Conger Goodyear, Buffalo's multi-gazillionaire of yesteryear, was the first president of MOMA). Stone was controversial because he, along with a few others such as Yamasaki and Bertrand Goldberg did not follow the minimalist party line of the emerging international style of the mid century. Stone's buildings were often quite decorative and he did not shy away from historicist forms such as arches. As such he was not allowed into the cool guys club with Mies and Corbusier. His buildings were often derided but held a certain popularity with the public. Today his work looks dated and is often in danger of desecration or destruction. I have heard that he designed Diefenforf hall on UB's Main Street campus. I cannot confirm this but, the building with its lacy masonry screen wall and thin profile overhangs fits the style he is best known for. The building he designed for the Buffalo News does not fit his popular profile. By the time Stone was asked to design the News building he was running a very busy firm. I read somewhere (again unconfirmed) that when asked why he chose to accept the commission of this relatively small building his response was that he wanted his name listed in the company of history's great architects, Sullivan Richardson, and Wright.
Unlike many of Stone's more well-known buildings the News building is an unabashed expression of pure modernist architecture. Its structure is boldly on display throughout the building. Massive concrete coffer beams span the large open spaces within the building freeing up internal space for the newsrooms. The coffers are lit to form a highly sculpted ceiling. Similarly the exterior is clad with monolithic concrete panels sculpted to create depth and shadow on the facade. Typical of this period of architecture everything is meticulously thought out and detailed. Also typical of the time is the great attention to interior work environment. The interior is quite wonderful. The core of the building is carved out for a two-storey atrium naturally lit from above (skylights spanning the building between the coffer beams). Sun light streams down onto a large central planter lushly filled with tropical plants, which is lined with a smooth terrazzo bench wall. Much of the News staff works in large open rooms on either side of this planter. Editors work in glass walled offices ringing the perimeter. It has the classic newsroom feel of the movies (note to movie scouts!).
As a modernist building it is of course not free of flaws in its interaction with the city. The modernists may have greatly advanced quality in the interior work environment of buildings such as this one but they did not have much understanding of or appreciation for cities and how people use them. One interesting feature of this building is also its most brutish element. The first floor is set back under long cantilevers, which appears to float the weighty building. It is an interesting visual play but also makes for a somewhat unpleasant pedestrian space. The dark cavernous area hides interior activity and feels dead and a bit scary. This is a minor flaw however and could be easily fixed. With the down sizing of the News in recent years much of the first floor is currently unused. I could see this area repurposed and built out for more active uses. The cantilevered spaces could be enclosed with frameless glass walls that would bring activity up to the sidewalk without substantial compromise to the floating visual effect. So anyway, Mr. Buffet, if you need an architect to study this idea further you can get a hold of me through Buffalo Rising :-)
Many thanks to Buffalo News writer Mark Sommer who graciously gave his time on a busy day to show me though the whole building from the basement to the amazing press machines. I might be able to squeeze a second post out of the building.
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The signature architect they chose was Edward Durrell Stone. Stone was a very prominent early modernist architect. One of his early major commissions was to design the new home of the Museum of Modern Art in NYC (interesting side factoid - in doing research for this story I stumbled on a site noting that A. Conger Goodyear, Buffalo's multi-gazillionaire of yesteryear, was the first president of MOMA). Stone was controversial because he, along with a few others such as Yamasaki and Bertrand Goldberg did not follow the minimalist party line of the emerging international style of the mid century. Stone's buildings were often quite decorative and he did not shy away from historicist forms such as arches. As such he was not allowed into the cool guys club with Mies and Corbusier. His buildings were often derided but held a certain popularity with the public. Today his work looks dated and is often in danger of desecration or destruction. I have heard that he designed Diefenforf hall on UB's Main Street campus. I cannot confirm this but, the building with its lacy masonry screen wall and thin profile overhangs fits the style he is best known for. The building he designed for the Buffalo News does not fit his popular profile. By the time Stone was asked to design the News building he was running a very busy firm. I read somewhere (again unconfirmed) that when asked why he chose to accept the commission of this relatively small building his response was that he wanted his name listed in the company of history's great architects, Sullivan Richardson, and Wright.
Unlike many of Stone's more well-known buildings the News building is an unabashed expression of pure modernist architecture. Its structure is boldly on display throughout the building. Massive concrete coffer beams span the large open spaces within the building freeing up internal space for the newsrooms. The coffers are lit to form a highly sculpted ceiling. Similarly the exterior is clad with monolithic concrete panels sculpted to create depth and shadow on the facade. Typical of this period of architecture everything is meticulously thought out and detailed. Also typical of the time is the great attention to interior work environment. The interior is quite wonderful. The core of the building is carved out for a two-storey atrium naturally lit from above (skylights spanning the building between the coffer beams). Sun light streams down onto a large central planter lushly filled with tropical plants, which is lined with a smooth terrazzo bench wall. Much of the News staff works in large open rooms on either side of this planter. Editors work in glass walled offices ringing the perimeter. It has the classic newsroom feel of the movies (note to movie scouts!).
As a modernist building it is of course not free of flaws in its interaction with the city. The modernists may have greatly advanced quality in the interior work environment of buildings such as this one but they did not have much understanding of or appreciation for cities and how people use them. One interesting feature of this building is also its most brutish element. The first floor is set back under long cantilevers, which appears to float the weighty building. It is an interesting visual play but also makes for a somewhat unpleasant pedestrian space. The dark cavernous area hides interior activity and feels dead and a bit scary. This is a minor flaw however and could be easily fixed. With the down sizing of the News in recent years much of the first floor is currently unused. I could see this area repurposed and built out for more active uses. The cantilevered spaces could be enclosed with frameless glass walls that would bring activity up to the sidewalk without substantial compromise to the floating visual effect. So anyway, Mr. Buffet, if you need an architect to study this idea further you can get a hold of me through Buffalo Rising :-)
Many thanks to Buffalo News writer Mark Sommer who graciously gave his time on a busy day to show me though the whole building from the basement to the amazing press machines. I might be able to squeeze a second post out of the building.
Diefendorf Hall was designed by Duane Lyman and Assoc.
http://www.buffalo.edu/buildings/building?id=diefendorf
Yes something like that too. But that does not mean that Stone did not design the building. They would have had a local "architect of Record" on the project. As I said the Stone connection is unconfirmed but the building displays aspects of his typical style.
Fair enough...you're the architect
What does that comment mean?
I mean that if you think that, based on design elements, E.D. Stone had a hand in designing the building, than so be it.
You're the architect.
somebody woke up on the wrong side of chicago this morning.
That is not what I said. I should not even reply to you since your only purpose on here seem to be to pick an argument in every post.
For the record what I said is. I had HEARD that Stone designed the building but that this was UNCONFIRMED and that it FITS THE STYLE STONE IS KNOWN FOR.
So what is your problem? Would you like to have a conversation? If so I am game. If you just want to throw pithy barbs I will pass on interaction with you form now on.
All I was doing was a little research and what I found said that the architect was Duane Lyman. You made a reasonable argument that it is possible that ED Stone could have had an design impact without being credited, and I accepted that as I am not an architect and you would have a better understanding of the design features identifying ED Stone.
Did someone already beat you up, this morning, for your juice money?
The research was fine and welcome. Snide remarks afterward not so much.
Reggie: please try not to HURT OUR FRIEND'S feelings. He doesn't hear so you need to speak up so your voice carries to CHICAGO.