New York Central Terminal - Buffalo, NY - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Buffalo Central Terminal has stood as an icon on Buffalo's east side since June 22, 1929. It was built by the New York Central Railroad at the peak of American railroading. The complex consists of the main concourse, a 17-story office tower, a 4-story baggage building, a 2-story mail building, and the now detached train concourse. The terminal was located almost halfway between New York City and Chicago, and was the largest wholly owned building in the NYCRR system. It was built to accommodate 3200 passengers per hour and 200 trains per day.

The octagonal shaped art deco tower housed the railroad's offices. The peak of the tower was once powerfully lit and could be seen for 15 miles. Influences for the design came from Eliel Saarinen's Helsinki Central Station and his entry in the 1922 Chicago Tribune Competition for Hood and Fouiloux's American Radiator Building of 1924. These designs featured soaring vertical elements and setbacks as well as restrained decoration of the facade.

After the Depression and with the rise in use of automobiles and airplanes, the rail industry suffered. By 1955, only 99 daily trains were using the terminal. In 1956, the terminal was put up for sale for $1 million, 1/14 the original construction price, but did not sell. With NYCRR still owning the building, they merged with the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1968, creating the second owners of the terminal. Penn Central declared bankruptcy in 1970.

Since the terminal closed in 1979, it has remained vacant and fallen into disrepair. In 1997, the tower was acquired by the Central Terminal Restoration Committee and they have restored portions of the tower and passenger concourse. It is currently available for rent and tours are offered a few times a year.

Street address: 495 Paderewski Dr Buffalo, NY United States County / Borough / Parish: Erie Year listed: 1984 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering, Event Periods of significance: 1900-1924, 1925-1949 Historic function: Transportation: Rail Related Current function: Vacant/Not In Use Privately owned?: yes Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   09/18/2016 buffalohiker visited it 05/22/2009 Nor'east Explorahs visited it 09/20/2008 Med14Ross visited it

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