Buffalo’s City Hall has stood over Niagara Square for nearly a century — a 32-story Art Deco tower that was Buffalo’s tallest building for almost 40 years. And this week, it made news again: the city announced a $215 million makeover for the landmark, one of the biggest investments in the building since it opened in 1931. Here is how Buffalo’s seat of government got to Niagara Square, and what comes next.
The First City Hall: Church and Franklin
Buffalo’s government did not start at Niagara Square. In 1851, the city bought property at the northwest corner of Church and Franklin streets for the Mayor’s office and other city offices. On that site, between 1871 and 1875, the city built a monumental granite structure designed by Rochester architect Andrew Jackson Warner — a Romanesque Revival building crowned by a large seven-story clock tower. It held offices for both the City of Buffalo and Erie County, and it is still standing today as the Old County Hall.
The old building saw plenty of history. Grover Cleveland served as mayor there in 1882, on his way to the governor’s office and the White House. And in 1901, after his assassination at the Pan-American Exposition, President William McKinley’s body lay in state in the building.
Outgrowing the Old Hall
By 1920, the problem was simple: Buffalo had outgrown its city hall. The city’s population had quadrupled since the old building went up, and in 1920 the Buffalo Common Council decided a new building was needed to house the city government.
The site they chose was Niagara Square — one of the central pieces of Joseph Ellicott’s original 1804 plan for Buffalo, and the spot where, from the upper floors, you can see Lake Erie, the rest of downtown, and the Canadian shore. The square itself sits on ground with a long history: it was the site of Samuel Wilkeson’s home, and the area saw skirmishes and the Burning of Buffalo during the War of 1812.
Building the Tower
Construction began on September 16, 1929 — just weeks before the stock market crash that opened the Great Depression. The cornerstone was laid on May 14, 1930, and the building was completed for occupancy on November 10, 1931. Its formal dedication waited for the following summer, July 1, 1932, timed to Buffalo’s centennial celebration.
The architects were the Buffalo firm of Dietel, Wade & Jones, led by George J. Dietel with John Wade and Sullivan W. Jones. The general contractor was the John W. Cowper Company. The total cost was $6.85 million — a substantial sum at the time, and the most expensive municipal project in the country when it was built.
The result was a 32-story Art Deco skyscraper rising nearly 400 feet, one of the largest and tallest municipal buildings in the United States. It was Buffalo’s tallest building until One Seneca Tower passed it in 1970. Along with the Buffalo Central Terminal (1929), it is regarded as one of the two most prominent examples of Art Deco architecture in the city.
The building wears Buffalo’s history on its walls. The figures on the Elmwood Avenue side depict nine significant events in the development of the city, including the surveying of Buffalo, the building of the Erie Canal, and the opening of the previous City Hall. And from the 28th-floor observation deck, 300 feet above the city, visitors can take in the view the site was chosen for.
When the new City Hall opened, the city offices moved to Niagara Square and Erie County took over the entire old building on Franklin Street. The old hall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976; the new one followed on January 15, 1999.
A Century of Life — and Upkeep
Ninety-four years after its dedication, City Hall has been through several rounds of repair and renewal. A major restoration in 2002, led by HHL Architects, focused on the 13th-floor Common Council Chamber — repairing the decorative glass ceiling and hand-painted masonry, upgrading lighting and sound, and restoring the chamber’s stone and woodwork. Further renovations from 2006 to 2009 included work on the popular observation deck. A masonry restoration cleaned and repaired the sandstone and terra cotta facade, repointed joints, rebuilt parapets, and restored the bronze windows on the first four floors.
The building has also been a stage for the city’s public life: Occupy Buffalo kept an encampment in Niagara Square from October 2011 until February 2012, and the building was firebombed on the night of May 30, 2020, during the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd.
The $215 Million Makeover
The next chapter was announced this week. On November 5, 2026, WKBW (7 News) reported that Buffalo City Hall is slated for a $215 million makeover, with city officials pursuing National Historic Landmark status to help fund the restoration. The announcement drew quick debate online, with some residents questioning the price tag against other needs like potholes, lead pipes, and snow removal — and others arguing the landmark is worth preserving.
The groundwork has been in the works for over a year. In August 2025, the city’s Department of Public Works issued a request for proposals for a Historic Structures Report and a National Historic Landmark feasibility study for the building, with proposals due September 25, 2026. The report is meant to establish the technical and historical framework for a future comprehensive restoration — prioritizing capital improvements, coordinating future design work, and pursuing grant funding — while the feasibility study evaluates whether the building has the exceptional national significance that Landmark designation requires.
The city’s own case for the work is straightforward: City Hall is approaching its centennial and faces increasingly complex preservation, maintenance, and modernization challenges. It is expected to need significant capital investment in the coming years, and the Historic Structures Report is meant to give the city a defensible plan for spending it. The full scope and timeline of the $215 million project are still to come as that work takes shape.
Buffalo’s Front Door
From a rented corner at Church and Franklin, to a granite hall with a clock tower, to a 32-story tower on Niagara Square, Buffalo’s city hall has moved twice — and each move said something about the city at the time. The first move was about a young city building something permanent. The second was about a booming city that needed room to grow. The $215 million makeover is about a nearly century-old landmark that Buffalo has decided is worth keeping for the next hundred years.