__NOTOC__ Electric Tower (or General Electric Tower) is a historic

office An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific ...

building and

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ri ...

located at the corner of Washington and Genesee Streets in Buffalo. It is the seventh tallest building in Buffalo. It stands and 14 stories tall and is in the Beaux-Arts Classical Revival style. It was designed by James A. Johnson and built in 1912. The tower was based upon an earlier Electric Tower constructed for the 1901

Pan-American Exposition The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is now Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Avenue to Elmwood ...

; as with most of the buildings constructed for that event, the original was only temporary and demolished shortly after the fair ended. Additions were made in 1923 and 1928. The white terra-cotta clad was originally built as the Niagara Mohawk Building and features an octagonal tower which steps back three times to terminate in a large lantern. It is also known as Iskalo Electric Tower, for the real estate development company that owns the building. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying six photographs''
/ref> The decorative symbols featuring aspects of electricity production are considered precursors to subsequent

art deco Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...

design. Like One M & T Plaza, the spire of the tower is illuminated with different holiday colors at night throughout the year. Both buildings are illuminated blue and gold for the

Buffalo Sabres The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, alon ...

during the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

playoffs. The Electric Tower hosts the annual Buffalo Ball Drop on

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...

, one of the continent's largest ball drops outside the New York City ball drop. Crowds gather in Roosevelt Plaza to celebrate the New Year. The Buffalo Ball Drop is accompanied by live performances and a firework show. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in September 2008.

Gallery

Image:NiagaraMohawkBldg Buffalo NY.jpg, Electric Tower from Genesee Street, August 2007 Image:Electric Building - Buffalo.jpg, Electric Tower closeup, 2004 Image:Electric_tower_side.jpg, Electric Tower, Genesee Street Side, February 2012 (after 2011 renovations) Image:ElectricTower 2010-11-08.jpg, November 2010 (before 2011 renovations) Image:New Year's 2017 - Downtown Buffalo, NY.jpg, The Buffalo Ball Drop New Year Fireworks Display (2016-2017)

References

External links

General Electric Tower - Buffalo, NY - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com
*
Electric Tower, Buffalo history websitePreservation Studios Buffalo, NY: historic building rehabilitation and preservation consultants
{{Buildings in Buffalo timeline Art Deco architecture in New York (state) Beaux-Arts architecture in New York (state) Office buildings completed in 1912 Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Skyscraper office buildings in Buffalo, New York Tourist attractions in Buffalo, New York Buildings and structures in Buffalo, New York 1912 establishments in New York (state) National Register of Historic Places in Buffalo, New York Green & Wicks buildings

Gallery

See also

References

External links