Guaranty Building

Buffalo, New York, USA, 1894-1896


External aspect from the East

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Louis Sullivan , United States

Rising real estate costs at the end of the 19th century forced buildings to grow taller. Technical innovations such as steel frame construction and elevators supported this development.

Sullivan was one of the first able to endow this new type of building with its own appropriate form of expression. He emphasised its height - which was enormous for its time - through vertical facade elements. The functional, vertically stacked arrangement of shops on the ground floor, offices above and technical maintenance under the roof is reflected as footing, stem and crown in the building’s design.
The facade is covered with richly decorated tiles, which subtly seem to add a sense of life to the building.

Louis Sullivan
UNITED STATES
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