Buffalo's Art Deco City Hall was constructed in 1931 in response to the city's ballooning population and the need for a unified city center. It was dedicated in 1932, to commemorate the City's Centennial. The construction several years later of the similarly designed State and Federal buildings created a cultural and city center at Niagara Square.

City Hall was designed in the Art Deco style of architecture popular in those years of prosperity and growth. It's design pays homage to the constructive, rather than destructive, forces of society. It has been said the designers set out to do in stone, steel and glass what the Greeks did in stone and timber. The elaborate designs on the building's stone facade, as well as its interior walls, focus on the region's storied past and on its celebrated assets. Featured are the Iroquois Indian Nation, the development of the Erie Canal, the relationship with nearby Canada, and the industrial spirit of Buffalo's citizens, among many others. Outside statues pay tribute to two Buffalonians who went on to become President of the United States, Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland.