Buffalo History and Architecture
— Niagara Square East —
The vista along Court Street from Niagara Square to Lafayette Square embraces a continuum of human struggle for freedom and justice. In the center of the vista stands a monument to the soldiers and sailors who perished in the war to preserve the Union over the issue of slavery. Adjacent to the monument, the Liberty Building celebrates the concept of freedom with two statues of Lady Liberty on its rooftop. At the farthest point is the Michian Avenue Baptist Church, a stop on the Underground Railroad for fugitive slaves en route to freedom in Canada. Wheather seredipitous or intentional, the east-west axis of the street, as well as a similar orientation of the Liberty statues, represents the east-west expansion of the nation and its democratic ideal across the continent. Located on the southeast corner of Niagara Square at present Court Street was the home of Indian agent General David Burt. Burt once hosted the nation's eighth president, John Quincy Adams, who in 1841 defended mutinous Africans being carried to slavery aboard The Armistad. In 1851, Burt's property was converted to Central High School, the only one in the city until Masten Park and Lafayette high schools were opened onthe east and west sides of the city on 1897 and 1903, respectively. The Central High building was demolished in 1926 for the Buffalo State Office Building, built 1928-1932 to designs by E.B. Green & Sons with Albert Hart Hopkins. The building is notable for elegant stykized Art Deco elements combined with the classical. Opposite is the Buffalo Federal Courthouse, designed in Art deco style by the two Buffalo architectural firms of E.B. Green & Sons and Bley & Lyman. On October 17, 1936, the building was dedicated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who highlighted the partnership of federal and local governments in creating public works to overcome the economic disaster of the Great Depression then raging. Previously occupying the site was the 1888 Women's Christian Association's building by architect Edwards Austin Kent, who designed a number of prominent extant buildings in Buffalo. Kent perished aboard the Titanic, while heroically guiding women and children to lifeboats. His body was recovered and returned to Buffalo for burial in Forest Lawn Cemetery. 1) Central High School 2) Michigan Street Baptist Church 3) Soldiers and Sailors Monument 4) Michael J. Dillon United States Court House 5) Bison relief, Walter J. Mahoney New York State Office Building 6) Liberty Building| HM Number | HM1QX1 |
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| Tags | |
| Placed By | Community Foundation for Greater Buffalo 21st Century Fund in collaboration with Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier, et al |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Thursday, March 3rd, 2016 at 5:01pm PST -08:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 17T E 673299 N 4750388 |
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| Decimal Degrees | 42.88643333, -78.87778333 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 42° 53.186', W 78° 52.667' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 42° 53' 11.16" N, 78° 52' 40.02" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 716 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 5 Niagara Square, Buffalo NY 14202, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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