The Liberty Building is located at 420 Main Street, across the

Buffalo Metro Rail Buffalo Metro Rail is the public transit rail system in Buffalo, New York, operated by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA). The system consists of a single, light rail line that runs for most of the length of Main Street ( New Y ...

from Lafayette Square in Buffalo,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, USA.

History

Built in 1925, the 23 story office tower is an example of

neoclassical architecture Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...

. 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 World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

to remove any connection to that war's main enemy. In order to illustrate the bank's new

image An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

, the building was christened with three replicas of the

Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; French: ''La Liberté éclairant le monde'') is a List of colossal sculpture in situ, colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the U ...

sculpted by

Leo Lentelli Leo Lentelli (20 October 1879 – 31 December 1961) was an Italian sculptor who immigrated to the United States. During his 52 years in the United States he created works throughout the country, notably in New York and San Francisco. He also taugh ...

in 1925. Two statues on the roof, one facing west, and the other facing east, represent Buffalo's strategic location on the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...

. A third statue was placed over the Main Street entrance. 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 Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

Didier Pasquette Didier Pasquette is a noted French tightrope walker. Pasquette studied with Philippe Petit (famous for his high wire walk between the former Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York in 1974) and in 1989 received his diploma from the Cen ...

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. The building is owned by the Main Place Liberty Group, who also own the

Main Place Tower The Main Place Tower is located at 350 Main Street, in Buffalo, New York. The skyscraper is the fourth-tallest building in the city, and home to many technology and communication firms. The tower, built in 1969, rises . The shopping center within ...

. The Liberty Building is the fifth tallest building in Buffalo.

Gallery

File:Liberty Building.jpg File:20080310 Lafayette Square.JPG File:Liberty bld.jpg

References

External links

* * {{Buildings in Buffalo timeline Office buildings completed in 1925 Skyscraper office buildings in Buffalo, New York Tourist attractions in Buffalo, New York Neoclassical architecture in New York (state)

History

Present Day

Gallery

See also

References

External links