Guaranty Building (Buffalo, NY) : Close view, lower left side of portal

Creator:

Adler and Sullivan, American architectural firm, 1883-1924

Published/Created:

Buffalo, New York, United States
1894-1896

Date Depicted:

5/15/1994
1850 AD - 1899 AD

Materials:

marble
steel
terra cotta

Notes:

Sullivan's design for the building was based on his belief that "form follows function". He and Adler divided the building into four zones. The basement was the mechanical and utility area. Since this level was below ground, it did not show on the face of the building. The next zone was the ground-floor zone which was the public areas for street-facing shops, public entrances and lobbies. The third zone was the office floors with identical office cells clustered around the central elevator shafts. The final zone was the terminating zone, consisting of elevator equipment, utilities and a few offices. The supporting steel structure of the building was embellished with terra cotta blocks. Different styles of block delineated the three visible zones of the building. Sullivan was quoted as saying, "It must be every inch a proud and soaring thing, rising in sheer exultation that from bottom to top it is a unit without a single dissenting line." The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1975.

Variant Titles:

Prudential Building

Topics:

Architecture -- United States -- 19th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Chicago School
Modern
Modernist

Culture:

American

Accession Number:

1A1-AS-GB-E1

Genre:

architecture (AAT)
office buildings (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

architectural exteriors; business, commerce and trade construction buildings; multistory buildings; high-rise buildings; skyscrapers; buildings; office buildings

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Module Two

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.
5/15/1994

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4152

OID:

10164263

PID:

digcoll:1797988