Central Terminal Campaign Recognized
From today’s Buffalo Business First:
A direct mail program targeted for sign manufacturers throughout the United States and a documentary on the efforts of the Central Terminal Restoration Corp. were named the year’s best by the Buffalo/Niagara Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).
Curbell Plastics’ Tracy Schiedel, Jessica Mitrovits, Sara Calarco and Rachel Gottlieb, along with Barbara Irwin of Canisius College Video Institute received platinum “Best of Show” and gold Excalibur awards for their work on the campaigns. The Curbell Plastics program resulted in exceeding goals for increased awareness of Curbell’s products for the sign-building market by using direct mail and a Web-based survey. Irwin’s documentary featured commentary by officials, preservationists, urban planners, former railroad employees and architects who discussed the Central Terminal’s architectural and social significance, and the activities undertaken by Restoration Corp. to preserve and restore it.
Congratulations and many thanks to Barb Irwin, Kirsten Jahn and Scott Richardson for doing such a fine job in promoting our cause!
June 23rd, 2008 at 10:56 pm
“Central Terminal- Saving a Buffalo landmark” is an excellent and very professionally done video. I hope that a sequel video is soon to be in the planning stages. Maybe part of it would feature different concepts for re-use.
The baggage building itself would make a neat college campus! For ECC, or whoever else was interested in opening one there.
I hope more recognition is given to the restoration efforts!
Maybe we can also get CBS news to do a segment for their “CBS Sunday Morning” program. Charlie Osgood and company have a nice way of presenting material and that would be a nice way of getting national attention from television viewers.
June 24th, 2008 at 6:55 am
Thanks for the ideas, Paul!
June 27th, 2008 at 11:17 pm
I don’t know if the CTRC is aware of this site:
http://www.greatamericanstations.com/
but I would encourage all to check it out. It might be a valuable tool for putting BCT back on the Amtrak map. It contains links to people to contact and other very useful information. I stumbled onto it while browsing Amtrak’s website.
June 28th, 2008 at 10:28 am
An exciting thought.
On the 80th anniversary celebration of the opening of BCT at about this time next year, the announcement was made that Amtrak was to resume train service to BCT at an undisclosed date, once the station reached compliance with the standards set forth, a link to which can be found at the website:
http://www.greatamericanstations.com/
We still have a lot of work ahead of us yet to make that announcement possible.
June 30th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Yeah that site is really cool.
July 18th, 2008 at 11:44 pm
Looking at this little blip under the “Rail News” column at the far right side of the http://www.greatamericanstations.com website:
http://www.inrich.com/content/cva/ric/news.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-07-18-0156.html
it makes me wonder just how many Amtrak passengers a year pass through Buffalo, and how the current stations, BFX on Exchange St., and BUF on Dick Rd. are handling the surge in ridership.
I saw something last week I never saw before: an eastbound Amtrak with 2 locomotives, a mail car and several observation cars, as well as coaches, 12 cars total, passing through Churchville, just this side of Rochester, followed less than 10 minutes later by another eastbound Amtrak, on the same track, 1 locomotive with 6 coaches behind it.
If Amtrak’s resources are as stretched as they claim, the time may be right for the major rail carriers hosting Amtrak: BNSF, CSX, NS, UP, etc., and even some smaller rail carriers, to consider investing in restarting passenger service to areas of the country in greatest demand. There may be a profit to be made there. Not to compete with Amtrak, but to supplement Amtrak, and make passenger rail service more accessible to more communities where there is a growing demand.
I’m sure if the lines at either Buffalo station get too long, they may talk about expanding the Dick Rd. facility, but the smarter thing to do would be to bring BCT back on line. It once had, and has the potential to have again, the ability to provide comforts and services not found at the other Buffalo Amtrak stations. And the ability to be a junction point between Amtrak and other carriers, rail, bus, taxicab, etc.. With the joint efforts of the CTRC, local businesses, public and private contributors, and a little help from the government, we can make it work. Meanwhile, at http://www.greatamericanstations.com , maybe someday the area on the site’s homepage, where the big piece is on the Hattiesburg MS station, they will one day host a big piece on the return of Buffalo Central Terminal in Buffalo NY. Let’s put our best foot forward on this one!
BCT will never be just a train station again, it would never survive that way. It has to be a commercial center, a gateway if you will, that would serve as a catalyst to grow the local economy, promote tourism to Buffalo, and revitalize the Broadway- Fillmore district. The beginning of a renaissance for the area.