Buffalo Rising Online

Feb 28th 2007, 8:22am By STEEL

This Art Deco gem was built for Addison Vars to house his advertising company at Tupper and Delaware. It was completed in 1929 on the verge of the Great Depression. Regardless of economic ups and downs in the following years, the care and detail heaped on this building by its creators speak volumes about the prestige of the Vars firm and of the importance of Delaware Avenue as not only a residential address but as a business address as well.

The Vars building was designed by Lawrence Bley and Duane Lyman, a prolific architectural team responsible for some of Buffalo's best buildings. Their works include many high quality revivalist buildings such as 800 West Ferry and the Saturn Club. Though they were known for exquisite interpretations of historic styles they were also responsible for some of the city's most beautiful Art Deco structures - an early form of modernism. Other art deco buildings by Bley and Lymen include the nearby 427 Delaware and the Federal Court Building on Niagara Square.

They also designed the superb early modern Eckhardts store in the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood. Interestingly they are also credited with designing Diefendorf Hall on UB's Main Street campus. This building is a 60s style modernist building which I have heard credited to Edward Durell Stone. It is possible that Bley and Lyman were the local architects of record on that project.

This building is very refined and has always been kept in great condition. The deco detailing is highly refined and subtle. It plays tricks with ancient styles such as placing ionic column details upside down or turning them perpendicular to the expected orientation. Dense areas of detail are contrasted with broad areas of smooth unadorned stone giving this smallish building a powerful street presence. Try to get a peek inside the storefront at the far south end of the building. This space has a beautiful and original art deco interior featuring a small rotunda space flanked by stylized columns. This building is a great example of the everyday high quality buildings that pack Buffalo's streets. My only pet peeve is the very poor choice of awnings that have been installed over the storefront windows. To me they detract quite substantially form the first floor. Here is to hoping a more sensitive solution is in the building's future. In any event, the awnings are only a small blemish on a real masterpiece.