Liberty Building (Buffalo, New York)

Coordinates: 42°53′08″N 78°52′30″W / 42.885595°N 78.875047°W

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Liberty Building
Liberty Building, 1970

General information
Status	Completed
Type	Office
Location	424 Main St., Buffalo, New York 14202, USA
Coordinates	42°53′08″N 78°52′30″W / 42.885595°N 78.875047°W / 42.885595; -78.875047
Completed	1925
Renovated	1961, 1999
Owner	Main Place Liberty Group
Height
Antenna spire	345 ft (105 m)
Roof	333 ft (101 m)
Technical details
Floor count	23
Lifts/elevators	9
Design and construction
Architect(s)	Alfred C. Bossom

The Liberty Building is located at 420 Main Street, across the Buffalo Metro Rail from Lafayette Square in Buffalo, New York, United States.

History

Built in 1925, the 23 story office tower is an example of neoclassical architecture. At the time of its completion, the Liberty Building was the largest office building in downtown Buffalo and was built for Liberty National Bank to serve as their headquarters. Liberty National Bank was originally called the German American Bank but its name was changed to Liberty National Bank after World War I to remove any connection to that war's main enemy. In order to illustrate the bank's new image, the building was christened with three replicas of the Statue of Liberty sculpted by Leo Lentelli in 1925. Two statues on the roof, one facing west, and the other facing east, represent Buffalo's strategic location on the Great Lakes. A third statue was placed over the Main Street entrance.^{[citation needed]} Only the rooftop statues remain today. They stand 36 feet tall and are illuminated at night.

An addition to the building, designed by Lyman & Associates was completed in 1961.

Present Day

On September 23, 2010, French tightrope walker Didier Pasquette completed a successful 150 ft walk across a high-wire suspended between the two statues atop the building. He completed the walk in two minutes and 59 seconds.^[1]

The building is owned by the Main Place Liberty Group, who also own the Main Place Tower.^[2]

The Liberty Building is the fifth tallest building in Buffalo.

Gallery

References

^ Sisti, Maria (September 24, 2010). "Pasquette High Wire Walk Across Buffalo Liberty Building". wgrz.com. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
^ "Liberty Building General Info". Main Place Liberty Group. Retrieved May 18, 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Liberty Building (Buffalo, New York).

"Liberty Building". SkyscraperPage.
"Emporis building ID 126216". Emporis. Archived from the original on January 16, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

v t e Timeline of tallest buildings in Buffalo, New York
St. Paul's Cathedral (84 m) (1851) Electric Tower (Pan-Am) (119 m) (1901) St. Paul's Cathedral (84 m) (1902) Electric Tower (90 m) (1912) Liberty Building (105 m) (1925) Rand Building (119 m) (1929) Buffalo City Hall (121 m) (1931) Seneca One Tower (161 m) (1972)

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History

Present Day

Gallery

See also

References

External links