Bright City Lights
In order to answer a couple of viewer inquiries regarding recent improvements to City Hall and the missing Court Street light standards, I contacted Daniel Kreuz, Acting Commissioner of the Department of Public Works. Dan informed me that the work that was recently done to the building was Phase 1 of the project, and this summer Phase 2 would be implemented. "Two years ago The City surveyed the exterior of the building," he told me. "The city realized that there needed to be repairs made. Phase 1 required that the back of the building and the south-facing weather side needed to be addressed first at a cost of 3.5 million dollars.
The common council just approved the second allocation of Phase 2 (2.5 million dollars), which will begin this summer. The masonry from this old building is being held up by steel. As the steel rusts, it expands and shifts the stones. The building had not been cleaned in quite some time. It now looks like it did back when it was originally built seventy-five years ago (1932 at a cost of $700,000)."
Just down the street from City Hall, there are brand new light standards that have replaced the outdated globes. Apparently the poles and fixtures have been in for a while, but workers ran into some serious problems when they discovered that there were foundation problems. The lighting has now been operational for two weeks.
I've noticed these improvements. The lighting at City Hall now looks much better and fuller than before. I can't wait to see the rest of the building improved. Also the street lights on Court St. are very simular to what was all over downtown past 40 years ago.
Cleaning:
So you're saying they cleaned the whole building? Or just certain parts of it for phase 1?
I could have sworn someone asked them about cleaning last year and the city said they were not going to clean anthing... just do repairs.
But it does look a lot better. Especially the lighting.
Yeah it is a totally different color, the colored top really pops more now and the head of it is a grayish color instead of the yellow ish brown that it was before. It took me by surprise the first couple times i saw it once the scaffolding came down.
There is also a lot better lighting on the building. Can't wait until the whole thing is done.
I wish it were that cheap:
The total cost of the building of City Hall was $6,851,546.85, including architect fees, making it at the time one of the most costly city halls in the country.
From the City of Buffalo Website.
The view from my home office window of the top of City Hall shines brighter than before. Very inspirational.
Just wanted to pipe up and remind people there what a beautiful building Buffalo has in its City Hall. Very pleased to see it is getting the attention it deserves. City Hall will be one of many important buildings forming the inventory for the architectural tourism that Buffalo needs to develop.
I've had a close look at the workmanship at City Hall. I wish I could way I was favorably impressed. Those of you who work in the building can do a simple test: measure the width of the mortar "cracks" between the stones on the ground floor, where work has not yet begun. Then go up a few floors and measure the same "cracks" between stones where re-mortaring has been done.
The workers are crudely drilling out the existing mortar with oversized bits, which irreversibly grinds away a significant amount of stone. So the original 1/4" to 1/2" gap between stones is now a sloppy 1" and more in places. This greatly increases the risk of water infiltration and permanently alters the appearance of the building.
The same thoughtless thing was done at the Unitarian church on Elmwood a few years ago. It permanently destroyed the amazingly narrow joints, which were designed to give the building a sheer surface. That effect is lost forever, replaced with one in which each stone looks like it is deliberately outlined or "raked." This was far from the architect's original intention and aesthetic.
It's bad enough that we lose buildings to gratuitous demolition, but it is disgusting when permanent damage is ignorantly done in the name of preservation.
We have the best city hall in the nation. That according to several prominent architects and urban planners who've made their way through Buffalo over the last several years.
It is truely an inspirational masterpiece.