Ethereum

Highrise #24

Collection

Highrises

Description

**Liberty Building** **Art by:** Chris Hytha **Story by:** Mark Houser The back-to-back Statues of Liberty facing east and west from this rooftop signify Buffalo’s importance as a water transport nexus on the Erie Canal. They were designed by Italian immigrant sculptor Leo Lentelli, who had gazed upon the much larger original when he sailed into New York harbor. The financial institution that erected this skyscraper was founded in 1882 for immigrants as the German American Bank. America’s entry into World War I prompted a name change in 1918 which, besides being patriotic, was a shrewd marketing scheme. The U.S. government was heavily promoting war bonds, and the renamed institution took out ads urging: “Buy your Liberty Bonds at the Liberty Bank.” Architect Alfred Bossom was an immigrant too. After a career in New York designing skyscrapers, he returned to England, served in Parliament for 28 years, and became a mentor to Margaret Thatcher, the future prime minister. The lobby has extraordinary coffered ceilings and a carved marble version of the rooftop statues in a niche behind the security desk. The statues are modeled on the bank logo, a modernized version of Lady Liberty with short hair and an athletic build.

Traits

City

Buffalo

Style

Neoclassical

Decade

1920s

Height