True or Apocryphal: Buffalo City Hall Suicide Incident

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 minute ago, Fadingpain said:

The building is reminiscent, in some respects, of stuff made in ancient Rome.

Their office buildings didn't have air conditioning either.  People survived. 

 

Not like A/C is needed in Buffalo, anyway, for more than about 3 weeks a year.

 

Actually you raise an interesting point.  The building was finished in 1931.  I wonder how many similar buildings had A/C built into them at that time.  I'm not sure how prevalent that was. 

 

The problem is that if a building is not built with A/C in mind, it can be difficult to engineer all the ducting needed into the building after the fact, especially if you want to conceal it.  

 

I do agree that all the window unit A/Cs sticking out on the exterior looks like ****.

 

The entire building is badly in need of a media blasting as well.  It's filthy. 

 

I assume there is no money in the budget for this stuff. LOL.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great points. Lurker mentioned the ice thing.  Ducts are there.

 

What about running indivudual coils through that... Like a Mitsu/Daikin system (individuals A coils, fans)... Can run freon pipes really small.

 

That may be an oldet pic with window units though?

[Cripple Creek]

59 minutes ago, Guffalo said:

It was 42 years ago.....when will that one be appropriate?

2027

[boyst]

46 minutes ago, Lurker said:

 

They still have the mechanicals for loading ice  blocks in through openings in the ground floor walls to provide "air conditioning" for the building    It's wild to think of that being high tech back in the day...

I'm going to search for images of this tonight.  That just sounds awesome.  Do you have any links or photos of it already?

[ExiledInIllinois]

9 minutes ago, Boyst62 said:

I'm going to search for images of this tonight.  That just sounds awesome.  Do you have any links or photos of it already?

Same principle used today.  Fan blowing over something cool.  Ice, ammonia, freon, etc... Just the closed systems compress the charge.

 

Basically alee of the Lakes work the same way.  Warm in the winter, cool in the summer.

 

But you are right, it would be interesting to see.  I could imagine it took tons of ice (stored in icehouses, cut from area in winter) and melt water just went down the drain.  Of course VERY labor intensive and not that efficient.  Would be interesting to see.

 

Another note:  First electrical conduit was used in old gas piping.  Provided a perfect and easy retrofit to electrification.

Edited August 10, 2018 by ExiledInIllinois

[Wacka]

4 hours ago, Fadingpain said:

The entire building is badly in need of a media blasting as well.  It's filthy. 

When was the last time you were in town? Look at the  photo in the first post.  They cleaned the exterior at least 10 years ago. It is tan now instead of the dingy gray it was as I was growing up.

[Fadingpain]

1 hour ago, Wacka said:

When was the last time you were in town? Look at the  photo in the first post.  They cleaned the exterior at least 10 years ago. It is tan now instead of the dingy gray it was as I was growing up.

I'm up there usually once a year.  Still have friends and family in the area.

 

Look at the detail photos; it's quite dirty.  Not disgusting like it might have been in the '80s but it's dirty.

 

It could be a lot cleaner.  

 

A good example is the Brandenburg Gate.  Note the difference before and after cleanings.

 

 

 

 

[Wacka]

City hall used to be gray almost black most of my life.  It is a lot cleaner than it was.  It is tan now.  Have you been downtown recently? I was up in the observation deck  in June.

Edited August 11, 2018 by Wacka

[BuffaloBud]

Highly recommend a tour of the building the next time you are in town.  Amazing detail.  And view from the observation deck is very good too.

[Cripple Creek]

19 hours ago, Lurker said:

 

They still have the mechanicals for loading ice  blocks in through openings in the ground floor walls to provide "air conditioning" for the building    It's wild to think of that being high tech back in the day...

Maybe added later?

From Wiki

Quote

City Hall was designed and built with a non-powered air-conditioning system, taking advantage of strong prevailing winds from Lake Erie. Large vents were placed on the west side of the building to catch wind, which would then travel down ducts to beneath the basement, to be cooled by the ground. This cooled air was then vented throughout the building. Winds off the lake were usually strong enough to power air through this system.

Source for the above quote: https://www.buffalony.gov/649/City-Hall-History

Edited August 11, 2018 by Cripple Creek

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

20 hours ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

Another note:  First electrical conduit was used in old gas piping.  Provided a perfect and easy retrofit to electrification.

 

Moe:  "Hey, no wonder no water will go through these pipes.  There's wires in 'em!  Get the tools, you knuckleheads!"

[ExiledInIllinois]

41 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

 

Moe:  "Hey, no wonder no water will go through these pipes.  There's wires in 'em!  Get the tools, you knuckleheads!"

The phase out from gas lighting to electrical lighting... We still use water pipes for water.  ??

[Cripple Creek]

4 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

The phase out from gas lighting to electrical lighting... We still use water pipes for water.  ??

But you see, the stooges wouldn't understand this. Hence their name, you stooge.

[Tuckerberry]

Late 70’s before I joined Navy.  We watched live coverage on news at supper time.  Rather than slide body back up pole I believe he was removed in 2 parts and it was a suicide. It did not take 6 months, how absurd.

[coloradobillsfan]

On 8/9/2018 at 3:37 PM, bbb said:

The Times of London this weekend did a glowing article on Buffalo, including "the phallic, art-deco City Hall."

 

 

And London would know...

[Tiberius]

On 8/9/2018 at 3:24 AM, Fadingpain said:

I have heard this story over the years from a few different people.  I'm curious if anyone else has heard it and can elaborate on details or definitively confirm the story's authenticity. 

 

These are the details as I remember them and/or have heard them.

 

Years ago (perhaps in the early 1970s but the exact dating is fuzzy) a person allegedly committed suicide by jumping off the roof or perhaps out of an upper window of Buffalo City Hall.  This was on the central facade facing Niagara Square.

 

According to the story, the person unintentionally landed on the flag pole that stands on the "roof" of the building over the front entrance foyer area, and became impaled.

 

Apparently the body was there for some time as it was difficult to remove.

 

Who has heard this?  Know any further details?  True or myth?

 

You can faintly see the flag pole in question (US flag) toward the bottom of the building in this photo, above the columns, just to the left of the larger US flag which stands on ground level across Delaware Ave. 

 

 

I absolutely remember that.

[TBBills]

6 hours ago, coloradobillsfan said:

 

 

And London would know...

Do you have something against London's largest Faberge egg? 

 

[Just Jack]

On 8/11/2018 at 11:16 AM, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

 

Moe:  "Hey, no wonder no water will go through these pipes.  There's wires in 'em!  Get the tools, you knuckleheads!"

 

 

 

 

On 8/10/2018 at 10:04 PM, BuffaloBud said:

Highly recommend a tour of the building the next time you are in town.  Amazing detail.  And view from the observation deck is very good too.

 

I went a couple years ago, definitely worth it if you have the time. 

 

Buffalo City Hall Tour - Welcome 716 - Explore Buffalo Niagara

 

Edited December 28, 2020 by Just Jack

[Nextmanup]

On 12/28/2020 at 8:20 AM, Just Jack said:

 

 

 

 

 

I went a couple years ago, definitely worth it if you have the time. 

 

Buffalo City Hall Tour - Welcome 716 - Explore Buffalo Niagara

 

Thanks for posting that.  I will try to get one of these in the next time I am in town. 

 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

Growing up I thought City Hall was black in color. Then they blasted off the decades of soot (likely from Bethlehem Steel.) 

[Wacka]

My cousin drove past city hall  while the guy was still up there Ilater that afternoon).   The guy's family was claiming that someone threw him off and  it was not a suicide.  There is no way someone could lift an adult over the 6-8 ft glass on top of the 3-4 ft stone wall on the observation deck.