in 1895, the ellicott company commissioned architect daniel h. burnham of chicago to design what they referred to as an "office block" in downtown buflo. the result was a building occupying the entire space between main, south division, washington, and swan streets. its 10 stories, 60 offices, and 40 stores, along with its central court, made it one of the world's largest office structure of its time, at a cost of 3.5 million dollars. it was on may 30, 1896, only one year following its inception, that the ellicott square building -- perhaps the largest, finest, and most complete office building in america -- took its place as a finished structure in the front rank of the notable features of the city of buffalo.

like burnham and root's rookery in chicago, it is constructed around a large interior court. the elaborate terra-cotta exterior, now painted gray, which in its essential lines follows richardson's marshall field wholesale store in chicago, was conceived by charles b. atwood (1849 - 1895), the designer-in-chief of the world's columbian exposition and master of "all artistic matters" in the chicago-based firm of d. h. burnham and company.

the architecture of ellicott square may be termed "italian renaissance," with refined and classic ornamental features. to the top of the second story, the outer walls consist of granite, iron, and terra-cotta , with a veneer of pearl-gray brick and terra cotta trimmings above -- the whole being adequately crowned with a cornice of massive proportions and great beauty (removed in the 1970s). the effect was to reproduce the quiet dignity, repose, and impressive grandeur of the great palaces of rome and florence.