Like certain Midwest grain elevators 鈥 鈥渢he cathedrals of the prairie鈥 鈥 the new milk processing plant in Aurelius has aesthetic qualities sufficient to place it among the most impressive buildings in the Auburn region. The design is by Shambaugh & Son.
The inspiration is modernist: right angles, plane surfaces with little or no decoration. It rises in three stages: a long rectangular base, a large tower a little off-center, and a right-angled turret also off center. Interestingly, some gleaming metal silos that could have wandered in from a surrealist landscape are grouped on the building鈥檚 left flank.
There is a hint of the Dutch painter Mondrian鈥檚 style in the facade. The front edges of the tower and base are thin, dark red lines; the tower鈥檚 base is a bolder white line. A thin white line traces the turret鈥檚 base, and a thin vertical white line descends from the turret鈥檚 right side to the tower鈥檚 base. These lines help clarify the organization of the building.
People are also reading…
AURELIUS | When Kevin Ellis peruses Cayuga Milk Ingredients, the CEO sees much to be proud o…
Along with its modernity, it is reminiscent of an older tradition: the medieval fortress. The long, rectangular base is the wall, the main tower the keep and the turret the watch tower.
On certain days, the building鈥檚 sharp geometry is emphasized by the rough vegetation in the foreground and billowing clouds in the background.
The structures change aspects according to weather and available sunlight. The silos gleam, then turn to lead as the sun is obscured. The main building, matte white, is almost glossy in bright sunlight. When light fades, it turns back to matte, then gray, and can be almost invisible against a gray sky.
When the building first appeared I thought, 鈥渢he White City!鈥 since I was reading about the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Well, it鈥檚 not a city, but a striking spectacle all by itself where there had been nothing but burdocks and bushes.
The best place to view this wonder is from the circular road behind the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES building on West Genesee Street. It鈥檚 an outdoor art exhibit!