Came up in my feed today: Untapped Cities
Fair-use SNIPS:
Fair-use SNIPS:
How Buffalo’s Central Terminal Train Station Was Almost Lost
Ever heard of Central Terminal? No, not Grand Central Terminal in New York City. The train station we’re referring to is on the other side of the state in Buffalo, New York – large enough to accommodate over 3,200 passengers every hour and 1500 employees back in its heyday.
Built in the late 1920s, this classic and nearly forgotten Art Deco train station fell into obscurity, for several decades, as it sat empty and abandoned on the east side of Buffalo. It was designed by the prominent architects, Alfred T. Fellheimer and Steward Wagner of the Fellheimer & Wagner firm. Mr. Fellheimer was the lead architect for several other famous train stations in the United States such as Grand Central in New York City and the Cincinnati Union Terminal in Ohio. Construction began in 1927 and opened to the public in 1929. It cost the New York Central Railroad line over fourteen million dollars to complete this masterpiece.
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Central Terminal was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 with a very uncertain future. The private individuals who owned the property at that time left the station vacant, abandoned and it was sadly looted by vandals. These shameful owners stripped the interior and sold off anything of value and proceeded to use the ground floors for storage. By the 1990s the east side of Buffalo considered this place an absolute eyesore. Miraculously, after years of constant debate, Central Terminal was (likely) spared demolition due to a twelve million dollar price tag.
Finally, in 1997, a group of local residents came forth determined to stop the bleeding and save Central Terminal from further disaster. This group of preservationists created The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation. When approached by the CTRC for a price to buy the property from the beleaguered owner, he offered it to them for exactly one dollar, a common transaction amount for development projects.
Thankfully, the CTRC has done a tremendous job of sealing up the building, fixing major structural issues and repairing this Art Deco gem for a much brighter and optimistic future. Just a few days ago, a $250,000 electrical upgrade was announced and Buffalo News has reported that the selection of Canadian developer Harry Stinson may be just around the corner. The biggest decision on the table is wether or not Central Terminal should be re-opened as a train station for use by Amtrak. Others believe a new station should be built in the downtown area where most of the resurgence is happening.
Over the past two decades, Central Terminal has been used for art exhibitions, performances, Dyngus Day and in 2016, the interior was used as part of the set for the film We Are Marshall. The CTRC continues to host guided architectural tours and other special events.
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Next stop, Willoughby
~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
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~el Jefe :: RAILROAD.NET Site Administrator/Co-Owner; Carman at Naugatuck Railroad
YouTube Instagram Facebook