Introduction
Architecture in North America at the end of the 19th Century was in desperate need for innovation and an architectural style that was uniquely American. Louis Sullivan saw this as a challenge and his design for the Prudential Building in Buffalo, New York stands as a testament to both a new American style of architecture and the modernization of buildings that resulted as a result of the industrial revolution. The emergence of the steel-framed high-rise building in the mid1880’s marked the beginning of a new era.1 The architecture firm Adler & Sullivan were at the forefront of skyscraper design in North America, quickly earning Sullivan the title “Father of the Modern Skyscraper.”2 The firm’s last collaboration and most notable project is the Prudential Building, built for Hascal L. Taylor in 1896 to be an icon of American office buildings.3 Originally named “The Guaranty Building” when it was first constructed, it is credited with being the first building entirely supported by a steel-framed structure.4 Through its unique three-tiered approach, it embodies Sullivan’s mantra “form follows function”, which would later become a fundamental element in North American architecture, especially in high-rise design.5 It can be argued that this method of planning at the scale of the building as well as the principles that it embodies played a great influence in shaping the fundamental planning ideals that CIAM was founded upon.6
32
The Site – Physical Context
Before being built, the site where the Prudential Building would be constructed upon lay barren, except for a small wooden building. The land was bought by a local oil entrepreneur, Hascal L. Taylor, in the hopes of building the country’s finest office building.7 When selecting a site, Taylor strategically decided to purchase a plot of land adjacent to Buffalo’s municipal building in an area populated with institutional buildings. His rationale was to attract tenants for the office space through proximity to the surrounding amenities, in addition to the building’s provocative design.8 Taylor died the very month plans were completed, leaving the Guaranty Construction Company to acquire the project. It was subsequently named after them until it was refinanced in 1898, and renamed the Prudential Building, after the Prudential Insurance Company.9 Taylor and Sullivan wanted the design to stand as a bold architectural style and create a new American building typology, celebrating the poise and wealth of the United States.10 The building appears to grow from its site through its spacious retail base. This was an innovative implementation at the time as it embraced the public realm. The hope was to attract pedestrians from the nearby Ellicott Square Building, which was being built to be the tallest retail building in the world.11 The Prudential Building stood as a testament to the booming American economy as well as a leader in the development of Buffalo’s downtown core.
The Site – Social, Political, Cultural, and Planning Context
With the emergence of the high-rise, construction was at its peak in the United States around the 20th century, leading to the erection of some of the country’s finest examples of urban architecture. The innovation of Sullivan’s design was not the only substantial feats of engineering of the time. Just as construction was completed, Buffalo was linked to the electric grid, illuminating the city via hydroelectricity from Niagara Falls for the first time.12 This brought unprecedemted illumination to Buffalo as well as within the Prudential Building. As Buffalo was rising to prominence in the built world, it was receiving attention in the politics as well. While still in the beginnings of the design process, Grover Cleveland was re-elected as president in 1893.13 A former Erie Country resident, sheriff, and Mayor of Buffalo, he brought Buffalo and other major cities great prosperity due to his economic platform: reform against fiscal conservatism through a pro-business mentality.14 By 1900, Buffalo was the eighth-largest city in the US.15 Shortly after construction completed in 1896, the presence of the personal automobile began to be a commodity even the middle class could afford with the introduction of the Model T in 1908.16 This would revolutionize the way cities were planned and conceived as residents began to move away from cities and into the suburbs and commute to work. The end of the 19th Century developed the foundations upon which a modern city could emerge from.