Made in Buffalo Spotlight Tour: Rigidized Metals

Join us for a tour of a truly unique Buffalo business: Rigidized Metals. Launched in 1940 with the singular notion that deep texturing metals would improve both performance and appearance, three generations of the Smith family have guided Rigidized® Metals: Richard “Stainless” Smith, the visionary founder, Richard “Sky” Smith II, the tireless marketer, and now Richard “Rick” Smith III, the energetic innovator.

From serving the war effort in the 1940s to providing solutions and offerings for transportation, aerospace, architecture and design today, Rigidized® Metals’ products can be found in a wide array of applications, including the futuristic IBM Building (now the United Steel Workers Building) in Pittsburgh, the iconic Unisphere in New York City for the 1964 World’s Fair, and hundreds of other installations and countless applications. The company manufactures their products in Buffalo.

On this tour, you will learn about the process, see and touch samples of their metal surfaces, and hear about the innovations this company has brought to the forefront, not just in exterior building fabrications, but its use in interior design.

Tour is handicap accessible. This tour is of a working factory and closed-toe shoes and pants are required – no shorts or sandals allowed.  Parking is available in front of the building at 658 Ohio Street, Buffalo NY 14203. This tour is ~60 minutes in length.

Tour Procedures & Policies: 

• Space is limited on this tour and reservations are required, including for Explorer Pass members. Walk-ups without reservations cannot be accommodated. 
• Reservations close two hours before the tour’s scheduled start time (for example, reservations close at 8am for a 10am 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. 
• Interior photography is permitted. 
• Accessibility: This tour is wheelchair accessible. 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. 
• 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.