United Office Building, now known as the ''Giacomo'', is a historic

Mayan Revival Mayan Revival is a modern architectural style popular in the Americas during the 1920s and 1930s that drew inspiration from the architecture and iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. History Origins Though the name of the s ...

, a subset of

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 Unite ...

, skyscraper in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...

, US.

History

The United Office Building was designed by architect James A. Johnson of

Esenwein & Johnson Esenwein & Johnnson was an architectural firm of Buffalo, New York. Firm history It was a partnership of German-born August Esenwein (1856-1926) and James A. Johnson (1865-1939). The partnership was started in 1898; the firm designed "many of Bu ...

, one of the most successful architectural firms in Buffalo at the time. It was built by

Frank A. Dudley Frank Alonzo Dudley (January 30, 1864 – September 21, 1945) was an American lawyer, politician, hotelier and business owner associated with Niagara Falls, New York. Dudley established the United Hotels Company of America and the "Lewiston He ...

, president of the

United Hotels Company of America United Hotels Company of America, also known as United Hotels Company, was a chain of upscale hotels in the United States. The company was headquartered in Niagara Falls, New York, with administrative offices in New York City. The company was foun ...

(later United Hotels of America), and completed in 1929 on the eve of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. The building is one of the most important landmarks in downtown

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Falls, ...

. It is constructed of steel and brick with a

terra-cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta i ...

facade. The building's

elements of sculpture and pressed

brick draw inspiration from the

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

pre-Columbian In the history of the Americas, the pre-Columbian era spans from the original settlement of North and South America in the Upper Paleolithic period through European colonization, which began with Christopher Columbus's voyage of 1492. Usually, th ...

Mesoamerican Mesoamerica is a historical region and cultural area in southern North America and most of Central America. It extends from approximately central Mexico through Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica. Withi ...

cultures. ''Note:'' This includes an
''Accompanying six photographs''
/ref> The upper five stories of the building include two floors of approximately 3,000 square feet and three top floors of approximately 1,000 square feet each, which were constructed to house mechanical and elevator equipment. The United Office Building, at 20 stories, was the tallest building in

until 2005, when it was surpassed in height by the nearby

Seneca Niagara Casino Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel is a casino in Niagara Falls, New York. It was built by the Seneca Nation to compete with Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Formerly known as the Niagara Falls Convention a ...

and Hotel. The top floors have views of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

and

Horseshoe Falls Horseshoe Falls is the largest of the three waterfalls that collectively form Niagara Falls on the Niagara River along the Canada–United States border. Approximately 90% of the Niagara River, after diversions for hydropower generation, flows ...

Renovation

The building was abandoned in the 1980s and was vacant for over 25 years. In 2004, the USA Niagara Development Corporation, a subsidiary to the State's

Economic Development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

Agency, purchased the building for one dollar. Carl Paladino's

Ellicott Development Co. Ellicott Development Co. is an American property management, leasing and development real estate firm based in Buffalo, New York and led by CEO William Paladino. The company's asset base includes residential, commercial, hotels, parking garages, a ...

undertook extensive renovations of the building, totaling $10 million (). In 2010, after the renovation, the building was renamed ''The Giacomo'' Hotel and Residences, and now houses 17 apartments, office space, and a 49-room hotel, the Giacomo. The building 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 v ...

in 2006.

Gallery

Image:Unitedofficebldg-niagarafallsny1.jpg, United Office Building front entrance Image:Unitedofficebldg-niagarafallsny2.jpg, Architectural detail front entrance. Image:Unitedofficebldg-niagarafallsny3.jpg,

Mayan Mayan most commonly refers to: * Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America * Mayan languages, language family spoken ...

decorative elements on facade.

References

External links

The Giacomo Hotel & Residences
*
USA Niagara Development Corporation page on United Office Building

Skyscrapers in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Niagara Falls, New York Office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Office buildings completed in 1929 Art Deco architecture in New York (state) United Hotels Company of America National Register of Historic Places in Niagara County, New York Skyscraper hotels in New York (state) Skyscraper office buildings in New York (state) Residential skyscrapers in New York (state) {{NewYork-struct-stub

History

Renovation

Gallery

See also

References

External links