Things to do / Travel Guide
Between western New York (NY) and south-central Ontario, the range of architectural styles is vast. The region's architecture will both charm and intrigue architecture buffs, urbanites, and lovers of the rustic.
In Geneva, NY, plan to visit the beautifully preserved American Greek Revival Rose Hill Mansion, with its bucolic porch view of Lake Seneca. The house was built in 1839 and mimics the symmetry of Classical architecture with dramatic, Ionic columns. If you enjoy touring historic mansions, don't miss the Sonnenberg Mansion in Canandaigua, NY. Built in 1885, the mansion is a Queen Anne-style structure with Tudor, Romanesque, and Chateauesque ornamentations.
Buffalo
In Buffalo, NY, walk along Pearl Street to see historic storefronts built between 1870 and 1890, as well as the Dun Building. Built by E.B. Green and W.S. Wicks in 1893, this Renaissance Revival was once Buffalo's tallest building. Another great is the Prudential Building, designed by Louis Sullivan in 1894. It was one of the first skyscrapers to just concentrate on height, instead of graceful form. Sullivan, no wonder, is said to have coined the expression, “form follows function.” Nevertheless, the building is extremely elegant, with a dedication to detail.
Built by A.J. Warner in 1876, future-president Grover Cleveland once worked in the Old County and City Hall as Buffalo's mayor, in 1881. The sandstone, modern Buffalo City Hall, at Niagara Square, is a powerful 1931 Art Deco building with interesting geometric adornments and bronze doors - if you're in Buffalo don't miss this. If you have extra time in Buffalo, visit the five Frank Lloyd Wright homes and the Kleinhans Music Hall, one of the world's only acoustically-perfect performance halls.
Finally, take a visit to H.H. Richardson's New York State Asylum. This castle-like structure was the largest created by this giant of architecture. Note, by the way, that Buffalo happens to be the only city to include designs by Richardson, Sullivan, and Wright. These men are the three pillars of American turn-of-the-century and early-20th-century architecture.
Toronto
Toronto provides an interesting architectural mélange of beautifully-restored historic sites and tall, modern skyscrapers and structures. Among these is Toronto's skyline signature, the tallest free-standing structure in the world, the Canadian National (CN) Tower, built in 1976 by architect J. Andrews.
Designed in 1976, and standing at 978 feet, First Canadian Place is Canada's tallest skyscraper. The architects used a unique white stone finish, and nearly six-hundred tons of Italian white marble was needed for every floor. First Canadian Place is at the intersection of King and Bay streets, and is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange as well as many elegant shops.
To see a few of Toronto's historic architectural landmarks, be sure at least to pass by the Hockey Hall of Fame (former Bank of Montreal) on the corner of Front Street and Yonge Street. Check out the Hockey Hall of Fame's façade featuring two Grecian triangular gables separated by an arched entrance. Union Station, opened to the public in 1927, was designed in the same spirit as the ancient Roman basilicas, and the bustling train terminal showcases 22 dramatic limestone columns.
|
|
|