Plans for $215M makeover for Buffalo City Hall as officials pursue National Historic Landmark status

Buffalo's iconic City Hall is set for a major makeover, with plans for more than $200 million worth of improvements over the next five to eight years, along with the pursuit of National Historic Landmark status to help fund the project.

The Ryan administration is looking ahead to Buffalo's bicentennial in 2032. City Hall will turn 100 that same year, and the Art Deco building is set for a major birthday upgrade.

Plans for the building include cleaning and restoring the murals in the lobby, improving lighting in offices and public spaces, and most notably, cleaning the entire exterior of the building, including restoring its historic decorative features.

The city's proposed capital budget's five-year plan shows the Ryan administration intends to spend $215 million on the upgrades between 2027 and 2031, with plans to borrow around $14 million for some of the work.

"This building is worth investing in so it remains an icon for the next 100 years," said Marie Carone, the senior deputy commissioner in the city's Department of Public Works.

She told me the city aims to fund the upgrades with a mixture of borrowing and grants, and she's mapped out a longterm plan for the city to gain National Historic Landmark status.

"That will align us for grants that we could not receive otherwise," Carone explained. "And hopefully philanthropic donations," she added.

If granted, that designation would put City Hall in the same league as other National Historic Landmarks, including the Grand Canyon, the Adirondacks and buildings like Philadelphia's Independence Hall.

It's a longterm plan, and Carone told me the exterior renovations are not set to start for another three to five years. She says the work will require significant disruption to the building's appearance.

"There will be scaffolding in order to accomplish the work. I would anticipate the building will be covered up for probably two to three years," Carone said.

Carone says construction will likely still be underway at the time of the city's bicentennial celebrations in 2032.

The proposed project marks a significant shift in how the city has maintained the building over the past two decades under former Mayor Byron Brown, with the city spending "as little as possible" on the building during that time, according to Carone.

"It really was emergency only repairs," Carone said.

In the meantime, Mayor Ryan has requested $1 million in borrowing under the 2027 capital budget to start improving conditions for those working at City Hall, from fixing leaky windows to buying modern office chairs.

The Buffalo Common Council has until December 15 to approve the 2027 capital budget.

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