BUFFALO, N.Y. - Morning light works its magic on the Guaranty Building. Its rust-red exterior beams brightly into the financial heart of downtown Buffalo. A rough outer skin shows off incredible detail done by workers at the turn of the 20th century.
Terra-cotta -- which means "baked earth" in Italian -- was the building material of choice back then. One could argue that the outer structure is like a giant clay pot ... and on top, the building's signature round windows. The building's huge circular windows add a kind of exclamation point at the top, and serve to set off the building's heavy cornice.
The genius behind the design is Louis Sullivan, acknowledged as the "father of the skyscraper." Sullivan coined the aphorism "form follows function" -- a principle which is embodied in the Guaranty Building.
When the building was completed in 1895, it stood 152-feet high and was the tallest in the city. Its 13 stories suggest the builders' defiance of superstition. The law firm of Hodgson Russ isn't superstitious, either. Not only do they have offices on the 13th floor -- they own the building.
Click on the video link above to get the whole story behind Buffalo's irreplaceable proto-skyscraper that was almost lost to the wrecking ball.