This 140,000 sf, 13 story National Historic Landmark, designed by Louis Sullivan and built in 1895, was totally restored for continued use as offices in 1982-1983.  The unsympathetic “modernizations” from the 1950s to the 1970s were completely removed.  The lost projected storefront was rebuilt from castings of found original sections.  The rich terra cotta exterior was carefully cleaned with a mild soap solution after the fabrication and replacement of over 200 pieces of various shapes.  Original art glass ceiling panels, ornamental metals, and the marble tessarae frieze were repaired and restored.  The spectacular result received worldwide recognition as a significant historic restoration.  It was awarded a National Historic Preservation Award in 1989, presented by President Ronald Reagan at a White House ceremony.

Current work at this building seeks to retain the restored features from the 1983 work as the building is adapted from multi-tenant office space into single tenant offices for a large law firm.  Additional restoration efforts are being directed at recently discovered deterioration of the distinctive terra cotta cornice on the north and east elevations, cast iron balustrades at entry stairs at the northwest corner of the building, and selective storefront trim castings that have not weathered well since the 1983 restoration.  An original tessarae frieze, located within the elevator shaft but not included in the 1983 project, is being recreated from surviving fragments. 

Client: Prudential Building Associates (1983), Hodgson Russ LLP (2002, 2007)
Location: Buffalo, NY
Completion Date: 1983, 2002, 2007 (projected)