Buffalo Rising Online

I thought there still is Ivy on the Delaware side of the building? I also fall into the category of those that actually like this building. It say what happens inside these walls are not concerned about the politics and whims of the rest of the world. Justice, should be divorced from influence, the law is the law.

The ivy looks very nice as the structure almost resembles from Mayan temple when its creeping over the stonelike facade. Bring back the Ivy (if is really is gone) and let the building appear to rise from the green earth itself.

Also there are forms of Ivy that will not damage the facade of buildings. There are species that use suction cups instead of roots that attach to the facade. Such Ivy is used on the facade of E&E in Lancaster as an environmental way to shade and cool their building. Take a couple clipping and cultivate it here. It would be fun to see how high it will grow.

Ok,

I admit I have always had a soft spot for this building.

For some reason the city has always cut the ivy down. I would suggest installing a 6 story LED dispay system. It can be done fairly easily with todays technology. It can be done with simple cable mounted light sources so you don't even need a heavy new structure to support it. check this out

http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/greenpix_led_wall.jpg

And see lots more including videos here http://www.colorkinetics.com/showcase/videos/

It is hard to believe that in a city with such great architecture that anyone could have approved that design. Looks like a prison. I have tried interesting Donnie Esmond and others to take up the cause and do something to get rid of the eye sore. If the Dulski building can be pealed away and a new skin put on.... why not here. (forget the cost for now)

Agreed , Steel. Put up a big screen. You could do something cool like they did in Chicago with Crown Fountain

Outline this building in white neon. While this would do nothing during the day, at night would be quite impressive.

Paint it to look like a shocking pink penis. Can we say penis on this blog?

I like the billboard idea, i'm sure the 'gentlemens clubs' across the border would be interested in this fine space.

Paint it to look like a shocking pink penis. Can we say penis on this blog?

I like Steel's idea of using a giant LED screen. Then they could display a giant picture of a real building.

This building should be in text books as an example of the utter failure, fallacy, and fraud of the "modern architecture" movement.

How in the world did architecture schools succomb to the audacity that their whims warrent the wholesale abandonment of the accumulated knowledge of the centuries' masters?

If someone wants to peform architectural fashion experiments or political statements on their own dime thats fine with me, but public buildings should be held to a standard of established architectural decorum.

Tear down this wall!

Well....

Actually; I dislike Brutalism, on the whole, but love this building. This is a fantastic example; well scaled, the type of building that CAN be this type of arcitecture (Unlike, say, Apartments), and fit in the mix of styles presently in Niagara Square.

Plus, Phohl, Roberts and Biggie (Not Smalls) are actually a well noted group of designers; it's a nice piece to have in the portfolio.

I prefer City Hall, prefer the BAC Building, even prefer the new glass/steel ellipse which will be the new Federal Court building, but c'mon guys, give it a rest, this is actually a well-done, well scaled, well placed piece of brutalism. And we will be thankful to have it in a few years, next to the at-one-time eyesores that everyone raves about today.

So, yeah, I enjoy it.. To each his own, guys..... And to compare this to the Donovan Building? A cookie cutter piece of stamped 50's trash shows just how little Brutalism is understood on this website.

So, Sally and Sbrof, it looks like the three of us.. :)

I like it too. Green it with a cable trellis system such as found: http://www.jakob-usa.com/

Oh...

And Brutalism wasn't meant to be beautified...

I can hear Le Corbusier quietly moaning in his grave over the title alone.

Seems childish and disrespectful to start proposing ornaments for a building that is intentionally unornamented . The building might seem strange (especially if you relate to the real world through movies that you've seen) but it is good and has a very strong identity that should not be ruined by half-assed efforts(like the pink pavement). This reminds me of a child trying a strange new food for the first time -- tempted to cover it with ketchup. Lets grow up.

I rather like this building just the way it is.

I would love to see gigantic Cellino & Barnes heads covering all four sides, I just can't seem to get enough of those two.

Put a huge Buffalo Sabres logo on all sides that light up at night, that will satisfy most people in town....Go Sabres!

Im no fan of modern architecture or contemporary architecture though if done well, I can certainly appreciate the asthetics

Frankly, I thought the Dulski was a nice looking building and didnt need a new facade though I would have extended the first few floors to the sidewalk.

Frankly, the city court building isnt that bad a building either. The biggest problem with the city court building is that its in the wrong location. Its built right on top of the street grid...which I think is Genesse Street;s connection to the waterfront. If the city court building were built in any other location, then it would not be such a thorn in the sides of Buffalonians.

As an example...look at the parking lots nearby the city court building and the parking garages...any one of which could have been the site of the city court and kept the grid open...and the parking garages could have gone another block or two away.

Yes, Ivy would do alot to humanize it.

Or make it into a large urban rock climbing wall. I guess someone would end up getting hurt and then they would be inside the building with their lawsuit.

The portion I dislike the most is the parking garage encroaching on W. Genesee cutting it off from Niagara Square and its path towards the lake (which is then blocked by the 190.)

some nice clean unfaded windows would do a lot too....

I agree with MJ,,, the parking garage next door has a much larger detriment to our city and its integrity than this building.

I definitly need another large vodka on the rocks. I can't imagine how so may posters like the building; they must all be under 35.

I was actually at this building today to sit in on some proceedings with an attorney from my work. The one good thing I can say about it is that when the attorney told me to meet him at the "big windowless building" downtown I knew exactly where to go...

buffaloweiner - the court building isn't blocking the street grid. The parking garage next door to it is what's blocking the continuation of Genessee... but only slightly. It's really not an issue with the the convention center and mall already completely chopping up that street.

The whole concept of "covering" over this building to make it prettier is somewhat misguided. It's designed to look that way purposely... (hence the "brutalist" description...) This building shouldn't be covered any more than a victorian house shouldn't be covered in z-brick.

What matters most is the human scaled view on the ground. It just needs landscaping. Mature trees around the base would drastically improve the feel of people walking around the city. The building itself is all concrete.. we don't need to pave every inch of ground around it as well.

Please no murals though. Niagara Square would be ruined with cheesy murals...

Seriously we need to just leave it alone...

I'd say Ivy and some trees don't violate the ideals of Brutalism; but the whole concept of the bleak, massive, imposing concrete wall IS the concept. Softening it is kida contrary.

And, PDB, yeah. I'm 32. It's a shame people older than that can't respect it for what it was/is. Not my favorite phase of design, but an important piece of mid-late 20th century design. Just as important, and just as enduring than the Victorian era, Art Deco/Moderne era, etc.. They all have their moments.

Some people probably hate City Hall, Shea's, Central Terminal, and the Guaranty Building. Enough people obviuosly disliked the Larkin Building enough to knock it down...

Put it in perspective folks; good design is supposed to evoke a reaction. It did.

Seriously we need to just leave it alone...

I'd say Ivy and some trees don't violate the ideals of Brutalism; but the whole concept of the bleak, massive, imposing concrete wall IS the concept. Softening it is kida contrary.

And, PDB, yeah. I'm 32. It's a shame people older than that can't respect it for what it was/is. Not my favorite phase of design, but an important piece of mid-late 20th century design. Just as important, and just as enduring than the Victorian era, Art Deco/Moderne era, etc.. They all have their moments.

Some people probably hate City Hall, Shea's, Central Terminal, and the Guaranty Building. Enough people obviuosly disliked the Larkin Building enough to knock it down...

Put it in perspective folks; good design is supposed to evoke a reaction. It did.

i think that if all the other great ideas mentioned are shot down, then they should just throw up some tinted glass curtain walls around the building.

p.s. love the LED/billboard wall idea!!

Architecture is like art--subjective and it's beauty or beastliness is in the eye of the beholder. I'm not a fan of Brutalism, I prefer Richardson Romanesque or E.B. Green over what could be called "Tower of Tron."

That being said, in its context, I like it. A stark contrast to the classic forms which surround it--its purely functional minimalist design offers variety to the great examples of the of the 19th and early 20th century craftsmanship which surround it. So in the big picture, I think it works...no neon needed here.

Frankly, state, city, surrogates, family, county courts...are pretty much all old and outdated...

It really wouldnt hurt with the new Federal Court House to consider one new large tower to replace all the other out dated ones.

Though...its the parking garage for city court that is the biggest problem. It really needs to go along with the Hyatt atrium and reopen genesee street.