Masters of American Architecture: Downtown Walking Tour

At the turn of the twentieth century, Buffalo had grown to become the eighth largest city in America. The wealth generated by commerce and industry enabled the city’s businesses, organizations, and citizens to hire some of the nation’s most prominent architects and use the finest materials available.

On this downtown walking tour, see signature works by some of America’s greatest architects, including the Guaranty Building by Louis Sullivan & Dankmar Adler, the Ellicott Square Building by Daniel Burnham & Co., and St. Paul’s Cathedral by Richard Upjohn. Learn about the prominence of Buffalo on a national scale at the turn of the twentieth century while admiring buildings such as the Old Post Office, St. Joseph’s Cathedral, and Old County Hall. Be sure to bring your camera for some great photo opportunities! 

This tour meets inside the lobby of the Hotel Lafayette at 391 Washington Street, at the corner of Clinton Street on Lafayette Square. Please note: the entrance of the Hotel Lafayette is locked and you will need to ring the doorbell to enter; also, public restrooms are currently not available at the Hotel Lafayette. This tour is approximately ninety minutes in length and approximately 1.92 miles walking. Two-hour metered parking is available on surrounding streets, and the Adams Ramp is one block away at the corner of Washington and Eagle Streets. The Lafayette Square Station of the Metro Rail is one block away, across Lafayette Square on Main Street.

Tour Procedures & Policies: 

• Reservations are required for all tours, including for Explorer Pass members. Walk-ups without reservations cannot be accommodated. Tours are generally limited to a maximum of 15 people per group. 
  • Reservations close two hours before the tour's scheduled start time (for example, reservations close at 8am for a 10am tour). 
  • To redeem an orange Explore Buffalo walking tour pass, please email explore@explorebuffalo.org at least 24 hours in advance to reserve your tour. 
  • The Explore Buffalo docent for your tour will have a list of tour reservations for their tour; you do not need to print or bring any tour confirmation. 
• Accessibility: Please contact us at explore@explorebuffalo.org or (716) 245-3032 if you plan to attend this tour and will require accommodations or if you have questions about accessibility. 
• Please wear comfortable walking shoes and dress for the weather. Tours generally proceed rain or shine. In the event of weather that requires a tour cancellation, we will contact registered tour guests in advance of the tour. 
• See our FAQs page for our refund policy and answers to other questions.
• By confirming your reservation for any Explore Buffalo tour, you acknowledge and accept Explore Buffalo's tour policies.