The gold and black metallic painted murals feature local institutions and familiar sights, from the Kensington Water Tower and St. Mary's School for the Deaf to the former Bennett High School and the former Elephant House at the Buffalo Zoo.

Erik Koch, Koch Metal Spinning's president, said he was hesitant at first when the Albright-Knox and the Tri-Main Center approached him about putting a mural on his building, but is pleased with the result.

"I thought it might spruce up the neighborhood, and it came out great and has been a huge improvement," Koch said. "We get a lot of comments, even from customers from Rochester who said they came by my building on a weekend to enjoy the public artwork."

The increase in murals in Buffalo mirrors what is occurring in other cities across the United States. Mural Arts Philadelphia, an anti-graffiti initiative that began in 1984, has produced over 3,600 murals by mobilizing public and private funds. Philadelphia is seen as the mural capital of the United States, but numerous cities, including Cleveland, Detroit and New York, and now Buffalo, have gone mural-happy in recent years.