Buffalo Central Terminal
Encyclopedia
The New York Central Terminal in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

, USA, was a key railroad station from 1929 to 1979. The 17-story Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...

 style station was designed by architects Fellheimer & Wagner for the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...

. After years of abandonment
Abandonment
The term abandonment has a multitude of uses, legal and extra-legal. This "signpost article" provides a guide to the various legal and quasi-legal uses of the word and includes links to articles that deal with each of the distinct concepts at greater length...

, it is in derelict condition, but is now owned by the non-profit preservation group Central Terminal Restoration Corporation. The Central Terminal is located in what is called the Broadway/Fillmore district (or Polonia District) of Buffalo.

The Complex

The terminal is located about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from downtown Buffalo, and consists of several structures, some of which are or were interconnected. The complex was designed for 3200 passengers per hour.

Main Concourse

The main concourse is 225 feet (69 m) long, 66 feet (21 m) wide, and 58.5 feet (17.8 m) tall (63.5 feet [19.4 m] at the domed ends). The concourse included various rental spaces; a restaurant with a dining room, lunch room, and coffee shop; a Western Union
Western Union
The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...

 telegraph office; and a soda fountain, along with standard station necessities. Curtiss Street runs directly below the concourse, but has been closed since the late 1980s for safety reasons. The concourse is currently owned by the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation.

Office Tower

The office tower is 15 stories, excluding the main floor, and mezzanine. The 271 foot (83 m) building is owned by the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation.

Train Concourse

The train concourse is 450 feet (137.2 m) long and includes 14 high-level platforms. Each platform is accessed by a staircase and a ramp. The train concourse is owned by Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

, with the land being owned by CSX.

Baggage Building

The baggage building on Curtiss Street is owned by the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation. It is a four-story building immediately adjacent to the Main Concourse.

Mail Building

The mail building along Curtiss Street is owned by the City of Buffalo. It is a two-story building adjacent to the Baggage Building.

Railway Express Building

The Railway Express Agency was the early forerunner of today's Federal Express, UPS, etc.
The building is located behind the Mail Building of the complex and is by far the most decayed building. Trains would pull directly into the building to proceed with the load/unloading of goods. This building is currently owned by the City of Buffalo which has made plans over the years for its demolition.

Power Station

The first building built as part of the project was a cogeneration
Cogeneration
Cogeneration is the use of a heat engine or a power station to simultaneously generate both electricity and useful heat....

 power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....

 that provided heat and electricity to the complex, even during construction. It contained three 28-foot (8.5 m) coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...

 boiler
Boiler
A boiler is a closed vessel in which water or other fluid is heated. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications.-Materials:...

s. The buildings smokestack was dismantled in 1966 to save on taxes. The power plant itself lasted up until the mid-1980s, with its exact demise not known.

Former Buildings

Other buildings included a Pullman Company
Pullman Company
The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...

 service building (demolished 1966), an ice house (demolished 1966), a coach shop (demolished 1966), and two interlocking towers, numbered 48 and 49, removed at an unknown date. These were torn down to lower property taxes. The station never had a roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...

, though there is one less than a mile (1.6 km) away. The roundhouse is no longer operational and is just east of Bailey Avenue just behind the Tops Supermarket.

Planning and Construction

During the late 19th Century, Buffalo had several railroad stations, and there were calls for a single union station
Union station
A union station is the term used for a train station where tracks and facilities are shared by two or more railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently between them...

. In 1889, a Union Station was proposed to be built on the site of the future Central Terminal, but it never happened.

The New York Central (NYC) had two stations in Buffalo in the early 20th Century: the Exchange Street Station and the Terrace Station. Both of these downtown stations were old—Exchange Street dated to before the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

—and were plagued with downtown congestion.

The New York Central decided to build the new Buffalo Central Terminal 2.5 miles (4 km) to the east, in order to relieve both rail and grade crossing congestion and to be more conveniently located for trains not terminating in Buffalo. A roomier area would also ease the transfer of sleeping cars between trains. Furthermore, Buffalo was a quickly growing city at the time, and it was believed that before long Central Terminal's area would become closer to the center of a sprawing metropolis of 1.5 million people. The City was not so sure, but planning was well underway in 1924, despite the lack of an agreement at the time.

The New York Central finalized its decision to build the terminal in 1925, and site preparation began the following year. New York Central President Patrick Crowley hired Alfred T. Fellheimer
Alfred T. Fellheimer
Alfred T. Fellheimer was an American architect who was lead architect for New York Grand Central Terminal and Cincinnati Union Terminal....

 and Steward Wagner to build the actual station in 1927. The total cost of the project was 14 million USD. Prior to the building of the station, the site was bounded to the south by the New York Central main line, to the northwest by the NYC's West Shore Railroad
West Shore Railroad
The West Shore Railroad was the final name of a railroad from Weehawken, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City, north along the west shore of the river to Albany, New York and then west to Buffalo...

, and to the east by the NYC's Junction Railroad. When the station was built, the West Shore was abandoned between the NYC main line and the Junction Railroad, being rerouted via the other two lines and the new station. The former West Shore right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...

 is now Memorial Drive.

A grand celebration attended by 2,200 invited guests on June 22, 1929 opened the station. Speakers included Henry Thornton
Henry Thornton (railway manager)
Also in 1894, Thornton began his career in the railroad business, entering as a draftsman of the Pennsylvania Railroad. He was based in the Pittsburgh office. He was promoted to supervisory engineer in 1899 and District Superintendent in 1901. As he climbed rapidly through the PRR hierarchy, he...

 and Frank X. Schwab
Frank X. Schwab
Francis Xavier Schwab was Mayor of the City of Buffalo, New York, serving 1922–1929. He was born on Smith Street on the Buffalo's East Side on August 14, 1874. At 19, he became a foreman at the Pullman Palace Car Company, then known as the Wagner Palace Car Company, and took a job as a traveling...

. Although an eastbound Empire State Express
Empire State Express
The Empire State Express was one of the named passenger trains and onetime flagship of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad...

 departed the station at 2:10 PM, the train was not a regular one, and was really just ceremonial. The station did not open until the celebration ended at 3:30, and scheduled service began on June 23.

New York Central

In the early days, the station was served not only by the owner, but also by the Canadian National Railway
Canadian National Railway
The Canadian National Railway Company is a Canadian Class I railway headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. CN's slogan is "North America's Railroad"....

, Pennsylvania Railroad
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....

, and the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway
Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway
The Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railway was a railway based in Hamilton that ran in Southern Ontario from 1894 to 1987. It never reached the other two cities in its name, although it did have branch lines extending to Dunnville and Port Maitland.-History:...

.

When the New York Central operated the 20th Century Limited
20th Century Limited
The 20th Century Limited was an express passenger train operated by the New York Central Railroad from 1902 to 1967, during which time it would become known as a "National Institution" and the "Most Famous Train in the World". In the year of its last run, The New York Times said that it "...was...

, Central Terminal was located about 44 miles (71 km) east of the half-way point from New York City to Chicago, and the trains would pass each other near there.

Central Terminal was almost always too large throughout its history. Although it started with 200 trains daily, the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...

 began less than a year after its construction, and the rise in automobile usage also hurt passenger levels.

There was a burst of activity during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 when the station actually had a reasonable amount of train traffic for its size. Some trains making daily calls at the station were the Mohawk, the Fifth Avenue Special, the Wolverine
Wolverine (passenger train)
The Wolverine is a passenger train service operated by Amtrak as part of its Michigan Services. The line provides three daily round-trips along the Pontiac–Detroit–Chicago route...

, the Water Level Limited, the Southwestern Limited, the Interstate Express, the Ohio State Limited
Ohio State Limited
The Ohio State Limited was a named passenger train of the New York Central Railroad, which either started or terminated at Grand Central Terminal in the heart of New York City to or from the Cincinnati Union Terminal. The Ohio State Limited was the Central's answer to the Pennsylvania Railroad's...

, the Cleveland Limited, the Lake Shore Limited
Lake Shore Limited (NYC train)
The Lake Shore Limited was a passenger train service operated by the New York Central Railroad between New York City and Chicago, Illinois, from 1897 to 1956. Separate sections linked to Boston and St. Louis. The Lake Shore Limited was the New York Central's first luxury passenger train, and paved...

, the 20th Century Limited
20th Century Limited
The 20th Century Limited was an express passenger train operated by the New York Central Railroad from 1902 to 1967, during which time it would become known as a "National Institution" and the "Most Famous Train in the World". In the year of its last run, The New York Times said that it "...was...

(engine crew-change stop only), the New England States
New England States
The New England States was a passenger train operated by the New York Central Railroad and its successor Penn Central over the Water Level Route between Chicago and points east. The New York Central introduced the New England States on June 15, 1938, coinciding with the relaunch of the Twentieth...

, the Fast Mail, the Missourian, the North Shore Limited, the Knickerbocker, the Boston Express
Boston Express
Boston Express is a subsidiary bus company of Concord Coach Lines that operates in New Hampshire and Boston. It services largely locations between Logan Airport and destinations on Interstate 93 and Nashua, New Hampshire....

, the New York Special, the Detroiter, the Empire State Express
Empire State Express
The Empire State Express was one of the named passenger trains and onetime flagship of the New York Central and Hudson River Railroad...

, the Advance Commodore Vanderbilt, the Commodore Vanderbilt, the New England Wolverine, the Chicago Express, The Midnight Special, the Royal Palm
Royal Palm (passenger train)
The Royal Palm was a named train of the Southern Railway which ran from Cincinnati, Ohio to Jacksonville, Florida and then on the Florida East Coast Railway to Miami, Florida. The train was discontinued in 1970.-Operations:...

, and the Ponce De Leon, plus unnamed trains to make a total of 152 daily trains in 1944.

After the war, the station again entered into decline, so the New York Central offered the terminal for sale in 1956 for one million dollars. No one took up the offer. A company called Buffprop Enterprises did negotiate a 25-year lease of the terminal in 1959, but it ended the following year. In 1961, train service to Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls, New York
Niagara Falls is a city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 50,193, down from the 55,593 recorded in the 2000 census. It is across the Niagara River from Niagara Falls, Ontario , both named after the famed Niagara Falls which they...

 ended.

In 1966, the continuing decrease in passenger revenues caused the New York Central to demolish parts of the Terminal complex, including the Pullman
Pullman Company
The Pullman Palace Car Company, founded by George Pullman, manufactured railroad cars in the mid-to-late 19th century through the early decades of the 20th century, during the boom of railroads in the United States. Pullman developed the sleeping car which carried his name into the 1980s...

 service building, coach shop and ice house.

Penn Central

In 1968, the New York Central merged into Penn Central Transportation
Penn Central Transportation
The Penn Central Transportation Company, commonly abbreviated to Penn Central, was an American railroad company that operated from 1968 until 1976. It was created by the merger on February 1, 1968, of the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central Railroad...

. Penn Central operated the terminal for three years until the creation of Amtrak
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

 in 1971.

Conrail

In 1976, Penn Central became part of the Consolidated Rail Corporation
Consolidated Rail Corporation
The Consolidated Rail Corporation, commonly known as Conrail , was the primary Class I railroad in the Northeast U.S. between 1976 and 1999. The federal government created it to take over the potentially profitable lines of bankrupt carriers, including the Penn Central Transportation Company and...

. These two freight railroads continued to own the Terminal and kept offices in the tower.

On October 22, 1977, Amtrak restored service to Niagara Falls and Toronto via the Maple Leaf
Maple Leaf (Amtrak/VIA)
The Maple Leaf is a 875-kilometre passenger train route operated jointly by Via Rail and Amtrak from New York City's Pennsylvania Station to Toronto's Union Station via Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo. The train travels during the day and takes approximately 12 hours for the 875-kilometre ...

. The financially strapped passenger carrier was in no position to rehabilitate Central Terminal, resulting in the reopening of the Buffalo-Exchange Street Station
Buffalo-Exchange Street Station
The Buffalo – Exchange Street Station is an Amtrak train station. There are plans for relocating this station.-History:...

 for both the Maple Leaf and Empire Service
Empire Service (Amtrak)
The Empire Service is a train service operated by Amtrak within the state of New York in the United States. Trains on the line provide frequent daily service along the 460-mile Empire Corridor between New York City and Niagara Falls, New York...

trains.

The Terminal's usage continued to plunge, leading to Amtrak replacing it with the new Buffalo-Depew
Buffalo-Depew (Amtrak station)
Buffalo–Depew Station is an Amtrak station in Depew, New York.According to the , Buffalo–Depew station is near the site where in 1893, Empire State Express Locomotive #999 attained a top speed of , covering the distance between Depew and Forks, New York in 32 seconds, making it the fastest...

 station in 1979. The last train departed the Terminal on October 28. Conrail closed its Terminal offices in 1980.

Anthony Fedele

After closing to passenger traffic in 1979, the building was purchased by Anthony Fedele & Galesi Realty for $75,000. Fedele used the building for a variety of purposes, including gala events, markets, floor hockey games, and more. In 1981, the bridge which connected the train concourse and passenger platforms from the terminal and main concourse was demolished to allow passage of high freight cars on the Belt Line. Fedele enjoyed the building so much, that he built himself an apartment to live in within the Terminal.

In 1984, the Terminal was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

Abandonment

In 1986, Anthony Fedele defaulted on his taxes and US Bankruptcy Court Judge John W. Creahan ordered a foreclosure sale. The Buffalo Central Terminal was put up for auction and won by Thomas Telesco, the only bidder, for $100,000. Telesco began the process of selling the architectural artifacts and other items of value from the building. The building was then acquired by Bernie Tuchman and his uncle, Samuel Tuchman.

This period was one of great decay for the Terminal. The Terminal's main buildings were subject to extensive artifact removal. Once a truck was being used to remove ceiling lights when it backed into the famous plaster bison
Bison
Members of the genus Bison are large, even-toed ungulates within the subfamily Bovinae. Two extant and four extinct species are recognized...

 statue in the concourse, smashing it. Artifacts removed and sold included iron railings, signs, lights and mailboxes. Further, the building was not secured, and vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...

 was extensive, and even included some arson attempts. It is said that the only thing that saved the building was the fact that demolition would have been too expensive (12 million USD).

Reacting to complaints and questions from preservationists in Buffalo, the owners responded, "If you think you could do a better job, I'll sell it to you for a dollar."

Central Terminal Restoration Corporation

Scott Field of the Preservation Coalition of Erie County bought the building in August 1997 for the purchase price of $1 and assumption of approximately $70,000 in back taxes. Shortly afterward, the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation (CTRC), was formed and currently owns the Concourse, Tower and Baggage Building.

The CTRC is a non-profit, volunteer organization whose goal is to preserve the Terminal and help promote it as a viable redevelopment opportunity in the City of Buffalo. The CTRC received money to restore and relight the exterior tower clocks located on the 10th floor, relighting them on October 1, 1999. Also in 1999, a state grant for $1 million was obtained to begin the process of sealing and protecting the complex. The top of the building was re-lit starting on May 11, 2001. In 2003, the building was re-opened for public tours.

Currently, the Buffalo Central Terminal is host to approximately twenty major fund raising events each year. Work continues to progress and new areas of the building are cleaned up and reopened to the public each year. Since 2003 over 90,000 people have visited the building. This is more than the local Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...

 properties of Western New York have had. The building has been a host to tours, art shows, local political events, train shows, annual Dyngus Day and Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest celebrations
The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German...

, weddings, as well as a temporary art installation by controversial artist Spencer Tunick
Spencer Tunick
Spencer Tunick is an American photographer. Tunick is best known for organizing large-scale nude shoots. Since 1994 he has photographed over 75 human installations around the world.-Biography:...

 in 2004.

The clock
Clock
A clock is an instrument used to indicate, keep, and co-ordinate time. The word clock is derived ultimately from the Celtic words clagan and clocca meaning "bell". A silent instrument missing such a mechanism has traditionally been known as a timepiece...

 in the center of the concourse, sold by earlier owners, was located in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

 in 2003. In late 2004, the clock was purchased for 25,000 USD through fund raising organized by WBEN
WBEN (AM)
WBEN is an AM and FM radio station serving the Niagara, Buffalo and Western New York area, broadcasting on 930 AM and, as of April 5, 2011, simulcasting on sister station WLKK at 107.7 FM. It previously simulcasted between 1946 and 1960 on 102.5 FM as WBEN-FM. Both stations retained the WBEN...

 and a donation from M&T Bank
M&T Bank
M&T Bank is an American commercial bank that was founded in 1856 in western New York, and today remains headquartered in Buffalo at One M & T Plaza...

. The clock was on display in the Terminal during the 2005 event season. In the fall of 2005, it was relocated to the lobby of M&T Center in downtown Buffalo, where it remained until spring of 2009. The clock was then moved back to its original location in the Terminal concourse where it will sit permanently on public display.

In November 2005, Red Scream Films LLC shot their first feature film Prison of the Psychotic Damned in the Terminal. This ultra-low budget film details what happens when a group of dysfunctional ghost-hunters decide to spend a night in the long rumored to be haunted structure. A benefit sneak-peek screening of the film with all proceeds going to the CTRC was held June 23, 2006 at 6pm. The film company returned to the Terminal in August to shoot part of their third feature "FrightWorld".

The paranormal investigators, The Atlantic Paranormal Society
The Atlantic Paranormal Society
The Atlantic Paranormal Society is an organization that investigates reported paranormal activity. Based in Warwick, Rhode Island, United States, TAPS was founded in 1990 by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. In 2004, the organization itself became the subject of Ghost Hunters, a popular weekly...

 (TAPS), visited the terminal for about a week in June 2008 and aired their findings on Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters
Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...

(Episode 417 - "Speaking With the Dead"), September 24, 2008. Footage taken during this investigation shows that, aside from the main concourse, the entire complex is still currently in a state of heavy disrepair. The spin-off show Ghost Hunters Academy
Ghost Hunters Academy
Ghost Hunters Academy is a paranormal reality television series that premiered on November 11, 2009 on the Syfy channel. The program is the third spin-off series based on Ghost Hunters...

visited the terminal for the episode broadcast December 2, 2009. On October 31, 2010 (Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...

), Ghost Hunters aired a live 6-hour broadcast from the station.

The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation, in cooperation with local, state, and federal government representatives, is working to position the Terminal to be Buffalo's high speed rail station. Buffalo, New York is part of the Empire Corridor
Empire Corridor
The Empire Corridor is a term used to refer to the approximately corridor between Niagara Falls and New York City, including the cities of Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, Schenectady and Albany. The Empire Service and Maple Leaf serve the entire length of this corridor, and the Maple Leaf...

, one of only ten Federally designated high-speed rail
High-speed rail in the United States
High-speed rail in the United States currently consists of one high-speed rail service: Amtrak's Acela Express runs on the Northeast Corridor from Boston to Washington, D.C...

 corridors in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

Timeline

  • 1925:An increasing need for a new train terminal is being seen in Buffalo. The current terminals were very hard to navigate through and were becoming too old to use. Buffalo was also becoming known as a train city with hundreds of trains going in and out each day.
  • 1925:The documents of the Buffalo Central Terminal are signed, allowing the Terminal to be located where it is today.
  • 1926:Construction begins, track is laid, and Lindbergh (now Memorial) Drive was created.
  • 1927:Construction begins on the 17 story office tower.
  • 1928:Steel work is done the entire year, the last rivet was laid in December.
  • June 22, 1929: Grand opening of Terminal, which brought out 2,200 people for the gala. The first train departed at 2:00 p.m. that day.
  • 1940s:After a decline in use of trains, the amount of people traveling on trains increases due to World War II
    World War II
    World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

    .
  • 1956:Due to a decrease in train usage, the BCT is put up for sale for $1,000,000, which is about 1/14 of its original cost, and does not sell.
  • 1959:The city allows the New York Central Railroad
    New York Central Railroad
    The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...

     to discontinue service between Buffalo and Niagara Falls
    Niagara Falls
    The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...

    .
  • 1966: The Pullman Service Building, Coach Shop, Ice House, and Power House are demolished to reduce costs.
  • 1968:The New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad merge to form Penn Central, the new owners of the Terminal.
  • 1970:Penn Central goes bankrupt.
  • 1971:Amtrak created, and used the Terminal as its central Buffalo station.
  • 1976:Penn Central RR,Lehigh Valley RR, Erie-Lackawanna RR, and Lehigh & Hudson River RR merge forming Conrail, the new owners of the Terminal.
  • 1979:Amtrak
    Amtrak
    The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...

     abandons the Terminal on October 28, for the newer Dick Road station in Depew. They also reopen the Exchange Street station downtown. Anthony Fedele & Galesi Realty buy the Terminal for $75,000.
  • 1981:Train concourse bridge is demolished so taller freight cars can pass through the station on the "Belt Line".
  • 1984:The Terminal is placed on the State and National Registers of Historical Places, therefore it is now unable to be torn down.
  • 1985:Tony Fedele requests energy surveys from the NY State Energy Office for the remaining 5 buildings that were part of the Terminal.
  • 1986:Fedele goes bankrupt and the Bankruptcy Court and Thomas Telesco wins it for $100,000, being the only bidder.
  • 1986-1997: The Terminal faces a period of mostly neglect. The two owners during the period, Telesco and Tuchman pawn off most of the valuable items and vandals who can easily access the building destroy it. Weather also damages it, causing severe water damage to much of the concourse. A few arsons also occur.
  • 1990:Complex sold to Bernie Tuchman.
  • 1993:The concourse, owned by Amtrak, is leased for heavy equipment storage.
  • 1997:The Buffalo Central Terminal Restoration Corporation buys the Terminal for $1, and about $70,000 in back taxes.
  • 1999:$1,000,000 of Erie County
    Erie County, New York
    Erie County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 919,040. The county seat is Buffalo. The county's name comes from Lake Erie, which in turn comes from the Erie tribe of American Indians who lived south and east of the lake before 1654.Erie...

     money was set aside to fix the tower. The clock was re-lit again October 1 of that year.
  • 2000:A large snowstorm causes the city to dump loads of snow on the unstable property, and the Central Terminal Restoration Cooperation (CTRC) sues the city for $1,000,000. The city decides to take away the $70,000 the CTRC owes the city for back taxes.
  • 2003:The removal of 350 tons of debris, repairs, asbestos removal, roof and the repair of 4000 windows, the Terminal is able to be opened for tours.
  • November 2003:The BCT is put on the Preservation League of New York State’s "Seven to Save" list.
  • 2004:BCT turns 75 and has a big celebration. The city gives them $75,000 for rehabilitation of the building.
  • May 2005:The original concourse clock, found for sale on eBay out of Chicago, was (with the help of M&T Bank, WBEN and many Buffalonians) saved, and the CRTC was able to purchase it.
  • 2006:The Buffalo Central Terminal has 20,000 visitors, breaking a record, due to Oktoberfest, the Buffalo Brewfest, and the Train Show.
  • 2007:CRTC celebrated 10th anniversary as the Dyngus Day celebration comes back to the Terminal.
  • 2008:Two large projects are completed: abatement in the restaurant area and concrete work by the entrance.
  • 2009:The Buffalo Central Terminal celebrates its 80th Anniversary in June and the Main Concourse Clock returns to the Terminal.
  • 2011:Master plan outlining reuse of the complex released to public. A replica Buffalo statue is placed in the Main Concourse in the same location as the original. First public tours up to the thirteenth floor of the tower are held.

Statuary

Several notable statues have graced the station's space over the years. The station once had a stuffed American bison
American Bison
The American bison , also commonly known as the American buffalo, is a North American species of bison that once roamed the grasslands of North America in massive herds...

 in the concourse, belonging to the Buffalo Museum of Science and used to advertise the museum. Passengers (including soldiers bound for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

) rubbing their hands on the bison caused it to become worn, so it was removed to the Buffalo Museum of Science
Buffalo Museum of Science
Buffalo Museum of Science is a science museum located at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Buffalo, New York USA, northeast of the downtown district, near the Kensington Expressway. The historic building was designed by August Esenwein and James A. Johnson and opened in 1929...

 and replaced with a plaster cast, bronze painted statue. This statue was accidentally destroyed by an owner during abandonment. A bronze recasting from the original molds can be found outside Alumni Arena at the University at Buffalo North Campus.

After the station was closed, the statue called "Progress" was placed on the terminal plaza by Anthony Fedele, who was the owner of the building after it closed down. The statue is said to have been of Madonna and Child. It was ruined when an attempt was made by the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation to move the statue to the Griffis Sculpture Park
Griffis Sculpture Park
Griffis Sculpture Park is a sculpture park located between Ashford Hollow and East Otto, New York in Cattaraugus County, New York. The outdoor art museum, which was created by artist Larry W. Griffis Jr in 1966, was the first sculpture park in the United States. It features more than 250 works of...

 in East Otto, New York
East Otto, New York
East Otto is a town in Cattaraugus County, New York, United States. The population was 1,105 at the 2000 census. The town is named after an agent of the Holland Land Company, Jacob Otto.The Town of East Otto is on the northern border of the county....

.

In Film

  • The station appears in an episode of Route 66 (TV series)
    Route 66 (TV series)
    Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...

    1960-1964.
  • The station appears in Best Friends
    Best Friends (film)
    Best Friends is a 1982 feature film starring Burt Reynolds and Goldie Hawn. It is loosely based on the true story of the relationship between its writers, Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin. The film is a drama as well as a romantic comedy.-Plot:...

    . It was shot in 1982.
  • The station appears in Vamping (film)
    Vamping (film)
    Vamping is a 1984 film about a down-on-his-luck saxophonist who agrees to help rob the home of a rich widow, then unexpectedly falls for the woman. Shots of the movie were filmed in Buffalo, New York including inside the old Buffalo Central Terminal.-Cast:...

    . It was shot in April 1983.
  • The station appears in The Natural
    The Natural
    The Natural is a 1952 novel about baseball written by Bernard Malamud. The book follows Roy Hobbs, a baseball prodigy whose career is sidetracked when he is shot by a woman who seeks to kill arrogant athletes to "better the world"...

    . It was shot in August 1983.
  • The station is featured in the September 24, 2008 episode of Ghost Hunters
    Ghost Hunters
    Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...

    .
  • The station is featured in the December 2, 2009 episode of Ghost Hunters Academy
    Ghost Hunters Academy
    Ghost Hunters Academy is a paranormal reality television series that premiered on November 11, 2009 on the Syfy channel. The program is the third spin-off series based on Ghost Hunters...

    .
  • The station was featured on Ghost Hunters
    Ghost Hunters
    Ghost Hunters is an American paranormal reality television series that premiered on October 6, 2004, on Syfy . The program features paranormal investigators Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson who investigate places that are reported to be haunted. The two originally worked as plumbers for Roto-Rooter as...

     Live Halloween special on October 31, 2010.
  • The station was the setting for the music video "The Frail", produced by Park School Media. The entire video was shot on site.
  • The station is featured in the June 27, 2011 Buffalo episode of Off Limits (TV series).

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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