United Office Building

Last updated
United Office Building
United Office Building Jun 09.JPG
United Office Building, June 2009
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location220 Rainbow Blvd., Niagara Falls, New York
Coordinates 43°5′14″N79°3′45″W / 43.08722°N 79.06250°W / 43.08722; -79.06250
Built1929
Architect James A. Johnson; Amsterdam Building Co.
Architectural styleArt Deco
NRHP reference No. 05001537 [1]
Added to NRHPJanuary 18, 2006

United Office Building, now known as The Giacomo, is a historic Mayan Revival, [2] a subset of art deco, skyscraper in Niagara Falls, New York, US.

Contents

Description

The United Office Building was designed by architect James A. Johnson of Esenwein & Johnson, one of the most successful architectural firms in Buffalo at the time. It was built by Frank A. Dudley, president of the United Hotels Company of America (later United Hotels of America), [3] and completed in 1929 on the eve of the Great Depression. The building is one of the most important landmarks in downtown Niagara Falls. It is constructed of steel and brick with a terra-cotta facade. The building's Mayan Revival art deco elements of sculpture and pressed terra-cotta brick draw inspiration from the iconography of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures. [4]

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. [5]

History

The United Office Building, at 20 stories, was the tallest building in Niagara Falls until 2005, when it was surpassed in height by the nearby Seneca Niagara Casino and Hotel. The top floors have views of the American and Horseshoe Falls of Niagara Falls.

Renovation

The building was abandoned in the 1980s and was vacant for over 25 years. [5]

In 2004, the USA Niagara Development Corporation, a subsidiary to the State's Economic Development Agency, purchased the building for one dollar. Carl Paladino's Ellicott Development Co. undertook extensive renovations of the building, totaling $10 million (equivalent to $13,592,000in 2022). 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. [2]

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reliance Building</span> United States historic place

The Reliance Building is a skyscraper located at 1 W. Washington Street in the Loop community area of Chicago, Illinois. The first floor and basement were designed by John Root of the Burnham and Root architectural firm in 1890, with the rest of the building completed by Charles B. Atwood in 1895. It is the first skyscraper to have large plate glass windows make up the majority of its surface area, foreshadowing a design feature that would become dominant in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">First National Bank Building (Ann Arbor, Michigan)</span> United States historic place

The First National Bank Building, also known as the First National Building, is a Romanesque Revival building in Ann Arbor, Michigan designed by the local architectural firm of Fry and Kasurin. It stands at 201-205 South Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 24, 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayan Revival architecture</span> 1920s–1930s modern architectural style

Maya 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Electric Tower</span> Historic commercial building in New York, United States

Electric Tower is a historic office building and skyscraper located at the corner of Washington and Genesee Streets in Buffalo. It is the seventh tallest building in Buffalo. It stands 294 feet (89.6 m) 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; 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermon Building</span> United States historic place

The Dermon Building is a historic building in Memphis, Tennessee, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was constructed in 1925 by Dave Dermon at a cost of around $800,000. From the time it was constructed, until 1983, it was the home of Dave Dermon Company, and Dave Dermon Insurance. 'Papa' sold the building in the 1930s, and although it has changed hands many times, it is still known as the Dermon Building today.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James A. Johnson (architect)</span> American architect

James Addison Johnson was an American architect known for his design of various architectural landmarks in Buffalo, New York, and his use of decorative work that many consider a foreshadowing of art deco design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eddystone Building</span> United States historic place

The Eddystone Building is a former hotel located in Midtown Detroit, Michigan, at 100-118 Sproat Street. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bancroft Hotel</span> United States historic place

The Bancroft Hotel is a historic hotel building at 50 Franklin Street in Worcester, Massachusetts. Built in 1912 and expanded in 1925, it is one of the city's finest examples of Beaux Arts architecture, and was for many years its finest and most opulent hotel. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It has since been converted into luxury residences, and is called Bancroft on the Grid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackstone Hotel (Fort Worth, Texas)</span> Historic high-rise building in Fort Worth Texas

The Blackstone Hotel is the tallest hotel in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, at 268 ft (82 m) tall. Located on the corner of Fifth and Main Streets, it is noted for its Art Deco design with terracotta ornamentation and setbacks on the top floors. The hotel was constructed in 1929 and operated for over 50 years before it sat vacant for nearly 20 years. The Blackstone Hotel guest list is full of notable people including Presidents of the United States: Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard M. Nixon. The hotel was also host for a few movie stars such as Bob Hope, Clark Gable, and Elvis Presley. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 2, 1984. The building was restored in the late 1990s and is still in use today as the Courtyard Fort Worth Downtown/Blackstone, although it is still known as the "Blackstone Hotel" to those who live in or have ties to Fort Worth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Boone Hotel (Charleston, West Virginia)</span> United States historic place

Daniel Boone Hotel is a historic hotel located at Charleston, West Virginia. It is a Classical Revival Style ten story structure with blond brick exterior and tan, modular, stone-looking terra cotta. The building was originally constructed in 1927–29, expanded in 1936 and again in 1949 to provide a total of 465 rooms, a large ballroom and 3 parlor meeting rooms. The overall effect of the facade is to create the common early 20th Century "Skyscraper" look of "Base", two story mezzanine - "Shaft" five stories of 1/1 and 1 story of 6/6 windows - and "Capital" tenth story diamond brick and terra cotta balustrade. The building is "U"-shaped in plan. In the early-1980s the building was extensively renovated to become an office building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Niagara</span> Hotel in New York

The Hotel Niagara is a landmark hotel in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Office Building (Seattle)</span> Historic building in Seattle, Washington, United States

The Federal Office Building, Seattle, Washington is a historic federal office building located at Seattle in King County, Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Detroit Financial District</span> Historic district in Michigan, United States

The Detroit Financial District is a United States historic district in downtown Detroit, Michigan. The district was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on December 14, 2009, and was announced as the featured listing in the National Park Service's weekly list of December 24, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colcord Hotel</span> Hotel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S.

Colcord Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel located in downtown Oklahoma City, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The building was finished in 1909 and has been considered Oklahoma City's first skyscraper. It is 145 feet (44 m) tall and has 14 floors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Architecture of Buffalo, New York</span> Overview of the architecture in Buffalo, New York

The Architecture of Buffalo, New York, particularly the buildings constructed between the American Civil War and the Great Depression, is said to have created a new, distinctly American form of architecture and to have influenced design throughout the world.

Esenwein & Johnnson was an architectural firm of Buffalo, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckingham Building</span> United States historic place

The Buckingham Building is a 27-story skyscraper located at 59-67 E. Van Buren St. in the Loop neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The building, which opened in 1930, has historically served as a mixed-use retail and office building. Chicago architects Holabird and Root designed the building in the Art Deco style. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 10, 2000.

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, and convenience stores. Ellicott Development Co.’s services include legal, administrative, financial, management, accounting, development, site selection, site assemblage, architectural design and drafting services, construction, leasing, maintenance, janitorial and security services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank A. Dudley</span> American politician

Frank Alonzo Dudley 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 Heights" neighborhood in Lewiston, New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Historic District</span> United States historic place

The Douglas Historic District includes the commercial area of Douglas, Arizona, a mining company town established in 1901. The dates of the buildings' construction range from 1901 to 1935. The district is bordered on the south by the buildings on G and H Avenues between 15th and 8th Street, and lie only eight blocks from the United States - Mexico border. The District includes architectural styles ranging from Queen Anne to Bungalow to Period Revival. One of the most interesting features is Church Square, which contains four churches in a single block. In 1930 the square was featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not, as the only block in the world which contained four churches: Grace Methodist, St. Stephen's Episcopal, First Baptist, and First Presbyterian.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "Giacomo Hotel & Residences (former United Office Building)". usaniagara.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  3. Hewitt, Tom (April 1958). "Historic Lewiston is Home of Falls Leaders" (PDF). Niagara Falls Gazette. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  4. "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)" (Searchable database). New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation . Retrieved 2016-07-01.Note: This includes Claire L. Ross (August 2005). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: United Office Building" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-07-01. and Accompanying six photographs
  5. 1 2 LaChiusa, Chuck. "United Office Building". buffaloah.com. Retrieved 12 October 2015.