Local

Looking Backward: Gothic Hall

by / Feb. 1, 2017 12am EST

Gothic Hall, 189 Main Street, was one of the most interesting and unusual buildings in Buffalo. Built in 1843 by William Carland, a merchant tailor and immigrant from Cork, Ireland, it was described in a 1900 Buffalo Express account as “not only different from every business building in the city, but possesses a Gothic ceiling which is a remarkable piece of art.” At only 22 feet in width, it packed a lot of character into such a small mixed-use building, of which hundreds once existed in downtown. Here, in a circa 1895 photograph taken on the east side of Main Street between Exchange and Seneca streets, is a view of the building when it was occupied by the Salem G. Le Valley Company, purveyor of sporting goods. Gothic Hall remained in use through multiple booms and depressions, occupied at various times by a garments store, gun store, jeweler, novelty store, and tavern, but ultimately did not survive urban renewal. The Nimrod cocktail lounge was the last occupant of Gothic Hall, razed in 1968 to make way for Marine Midland Center.

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