Buffalo Gas Company
(also known as Buffalo Gas Light Company and Illuminating Gas Company)
249 West Genesee St. , Buffalo, NY
|
Erected |
1848 1859 existing facade by John H. Selkirk See also: Highlights of Buffalo's History, 1859 |
|
Architect |
John H Selkirk (Asbury Delaware Church) |
|
Style |
Romanesque Revival |
|
Status |
National Register of Historic Places .... Buffalo landmark |
When built in 1848, the Buffalo Gas Light Company
stood on both Lake Erie and the Erie Canal. From both, coal could be handily unloaded
for the gas company, which then manufactured it into illuminating gas. The present
distance of the building from the water reveals the great extent to which the waterfront
has been filled in over the years.
Buffalo's fIrst architect, John H Selkirk, designed the arcaded Romanesque
facade in 1859. The outstanding feature of the building, the 250-foot façade,
is constructed of ashlar stone.
Romanesque characteristics of the structure are
- the rounded arches,
- the octagonal turrets, and
- the corbeling along the crest of the wings.
Another of Selkirk's notable buildings in Buffalo is the Asbury Methodist Church at Delaware and Tupper.
