Old Post Office, Buffalo

The Old Post Office in Buffalo, now the City Campus of SUNY Erie, is one of the city's most striking architectural landmarks. Located on Ellicott Street within the Joseph Ellicott Historic District, the building began construction in 1897 and officially opened in 1901. Originally designed as Buffalo’s central post office, it remained in that role until 1963.

This monumental structure is a Gothic Revival masterpiece with strong influences from Romanesque Revival and Chateauesque styles. Clad in pink Vermont granite, it features elaborate hand-carved details, including fierce gargoyles, bison heads, and soaring eagles. Its most dramatic feature is the 244-foot central tower, topped with crocketed spires that make it one of the most recognizable silhouettes in Buffalo’s skyline. The exterior also boasts recessed arches, finials, and a distinctive green Ludowici tile roof.

Inside, the building is no less impressive. At its heart lies a roofed courtyard designed like a Venetian palazzo, complete with terrazzo floors, groin vaults, glazed bricks, terra cotta moldings, and stained glass windows. This interior light court is surrounded by galleries and gives the building an elegant, almost theatrical feel.

Despite a controversy surrounding its design-stemming from the 1893 Tarnsey Act, which mandated competitions for federal buildings-the structure ultimately represents the work of three architects: Jeremiah O’Rourke, William M. Aiken, and James Knox Taylor. Taylor, in particular, is credited with refining the final version, and later designed a similar post office in Washington, D.C.

After serving federal purposes, the building was transferred to SUNY Erie in 1981 and has since been beautifully restored. Today, it stands not only as an academic hub but also as a testament to the city’s architectural grandeur and evolving civic legacy.