It's what's on the inside that counts.

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Sep 17th 2005, 11:14am By queenseyes

Think Financial Student Loans

When people are asked to describe the Erie Community College building (the old post office), more often than not they describe the exterior. It's high-profile city architecture. The exterior is absolutely stunning. If you have never stepped foot inside this building... do so now. It's an unforgettable experience.

James Knox Taylor, the official architect of the United States Treasury, designed the building, which was constructed in the Flemish Gothic style. The exterior stone is made of granite from Jonesboro, Maine.

It was originally designed to house U.S. government agencies. Over the years many of these services were relocated (U.S. Courts and IRS) or were closed (Steam Boat Inspection Service and Lighthouse Board). In 1963, the main branch services of the U.S. Postal Service, the only remaining major tenant, moved out of the building. The building remained vacant during the late 1960s and 1970s. In 1969, the building was considered for demolition and was described by one prominent civic leader as a "monstrous pile of death-like stone." Many preservationists disagreed, and the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. Numerous new uses, including a convention center, were proposed as it sat vacant throughout most of the 1970s. Finally in 1981, after several years of rehabilitation, the building was reopened as the downtown campus for Erie Community College. It remains one of the most recognizable buildings in the Downtown landscape. -Walk Buffalo

The City Campus moved to its present site in 1981, following the renovation of the Old Post Office, an architectural landmark, in the center of downtown Buffalo. The site of the present City Campus is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places; and in 1964 was named in the Historic American Building Survey as one of the eleven most significant buildings in Buffalo. Bounded by Oak and Ellicott Streets, this urban campus is rich in architectural beauty, boasting an expansive skylight, an atrium filled with ferns and trees, high-ceilinged classrooms, and gourmet cooking facilities. Among the City Campus programs are: Culinary Arts, Early Childcare, Hotel Technology, Manufacturing Technology, Paralegal, Teacher Preparation, and Nursing.

City Campus 121 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, New York 14203 716-842-2770

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