United Office Building
Encyclopedia
United Office Building is an art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 skyscraper located in Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...

 at 220 Rainbow Boulevard.

Designed by architect James A. Johnson
James A. Johnson (architect)
James Addison Johnson was a Buffalo, New York architect known for his design of various architectural landmarks and his use of decorative work that many consider a foreshadowing of art deco design....

. Completed in 1929 on the eve of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

, the building is one of the most important landmarks in downtown Niagara Falls. Constructed of steel and brick with a terra cotta facade, the building's art deco elements of sculpture and pressed terra cotta brick are in a Mayan
Maya civilization
The Maya is a Mesoamerican civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the pre-Columbian Americas, as well as for its art, architecture, and mathematical and astronomical systems. Initially established during the Pre-Classic period The Maya is a Mesoamerican...

 style.

At 20 stories, it was the tallest building in Niagara Falls until 2005 when it was surpassed in height by the nearby Seneca Niagara Casino
Seneca Niagara Casino
Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel is a casino located in Niagara Falls, New York and was built to compete with Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario...

 and Hotel. Given the structure's height, the top floors offer spectacular views of the American and Horseshoe Falls of Niagara Falls.

The building was abandoned in the 1980s and was purchased in 2004 by the USA Niagara Development Corporation for one dollar. Carl Paladino
Carl Paladino
Carl Pasquale Paladino is an American businessman and political activist from Buffalo, New York. Paladino is the founder and chairman of Ellicott Development Company, a real estate development company he founded in 1973. He was the 2010 Republican nominee for the New York gubernatorial election,...

's Ellicott Development Company has undertaken extensive renovations of the building. The building now contains 27 upscale apartments, some office space, and a 38-room luxury boutique hotel, The Giacomo (opening Dec. 2009).

Given the building's historical and architectural importance, the building was nominated in 2005 for listing on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 and the New York State Register of Historic Places. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

External links

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