The city’s coolest lofts?
Plan could breathe new life into a faded Buffalo landmark
By Mark Sommer
Buffalo News
3-10-11
Lofts, a green business incubator and rail travel are all part of the mix envisioned for restoring the Central Terminal.
The $75 million plan, being unveiled today by the all-volunteer Central Terminal Restoration Corp., is the first to spell out broad uses for the 523,000-square-foot art deco tower, concourse and baggage room on Buffalo’s East Side, where Amtrak pulled out of the station for the final time in October 1979.
The group says the plan — which it readily admits can be changed if a developer, for instance, has other ideas — holds out hope for the revival of an architectural marvel that carries heartfelt memories for many and has long commanded interest for its unusual, intriguing and towering appearance.
“The ultimate vision for the entire complex is a hub for Western New York,” said Paul Lang, a board member who heads the group’s Architectural Advisory Committee, which prepared the plan. “The key is you have to have the mix. You can’t have all of the facility be one thing.”
Mark Lewandowski, the group’s president, said, “Volunteers have supported the building on their shoulders, and now we need to take the building to the next step, and here’s a plan to do so.”
That’s not to say all this will happen any time soon, or perhaps at all. There is no timetable beyond immediate organizational goals, and there’s the matter of how to pay for it.
In addition, a recent study by a leading architectural firm found the 17-story brick and masonry tower building alone needs $2.6 million in work, largely masonry repointing and stabilization, with another study of the concourse expected to show a cost of more than $1 million to replace the vaulted roof.
The plan calls for developing the complex in manageable phases, with each able to stand alone.
Here are the highlights:
*The tower would be designed as market-rate residential space to be determined by market analysis. The units could range from large work/live spaces on the lower floors and medium-sized loft-style units on the middle floors, to large penthouse suites on the upper floors. Affordable housing also would be considered.
The historic elevators and lobbies would be refurbished to provide uninterrupted access from the parking garage. Renovation of the former water tank room at the top of the tower would allow 360-degree views of the city and Western New York.
*The baggage building would become a green business incubator facility that would accommodate small business and light industrial operations.
*The concourse would continue as publicly accessible space, used — as it has been in recent years — for museum exhibitions, art shows and other public purposes. The interior would be restored, and seasonal kiosks would be operated alongside other commercial and educational ventures.
*Train service would resume by tying into New York State’s portion of the high-speed rail system, and connecting with Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority light rail if it were expanded.
The plan identifies numerous local, state and federal tax credits and other economic incentives aimed at lowering the cost of development.
However, many pitfalls remain.
One prominent Buffalo developer said it is widely viewed that the poverty-stricken Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood would not sustain market-rate lofts in the Central Terminal.
The state Department of Transportation already has given a thumbs down to locating high-speed rail there.
And raising government funds in the current economic climate has grown more difficult, especially in a part of the city that has been without significant economic investment for decades.
However, a Long Island-based developer specializing in adaptive reuse of historic buildings sees great potential in the Central Terminal — and is considering trying to develop it.
“I am extremely interested in the site,” said Uri Kaufman, who recently showed interest in acquiring the Statler Towers. He declined to share his vision for the complex until plans are further along.
“It’s an incredible building. It’s in a rough part of town, but it presents an opportunity. It would be just a magnificent project,” Kaufman said.
The Central Terminal opened in June 1929, four months before the stock market crash that ushered in the Great Depression. It was built 2 1/2 miles from the downtown business district at a cost of $14 million, eventually handling about 200 daily passenger trains at its peak.
It was designed by noted railroad architects Alfred Fellheimer and Steward Wagner, and was an example of the art deco movement that swept the nation in the 1920s.
Rail travel declined in the decades after World War II, and after train service ended there at the end of the 1970s, a succession of private owners and extensive vandalism took a toll on the once magnificent building.
It was placed in the State and National Registers of Historical Places in 1984.
The Central Terminal Restoration Corp. purchased the complex for $1 and assumption of back taxes in 1997. It raised more than $1 million to seal and stabilize the buildings, and began inviting the public in for public events in 2003. Showing resilience, the group pressed forward despite the unexpected deaths of two guiding leaders, Russell Pawlak and Michael Miller, three weeks apart in August 2009.
Some politicians in touch with the organization say they want to help the former train station come back.
“Not many cities have a treasure like Central Terminal, and I want to make sure Buffalo can take advantage of it,” said Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport. “The terminal should be preserved, not only for its beauty, but also for its historical significance.”
Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes, D-Buffalo, also said she wanted to help something happen there, especially high-speed rail.
“What they’re trying to do is a game winner for that neighborhood. I’d like to see the grandeur of the Central Terminal in use in my lifetime,” she said.
Lewandowski said improving the neighborhood is a key goal of rebuilding the terminal, and he believes young professionals who have attended events at the site might be more receptive to living there.
“Our visitor demographic is 25 to 35 years old. If we can bring 4,000 people into that area, look at the potential for the future. In my opinion, it takes the perceived negativity of the community out of the equation,” Lewandowski said.
Lang, an architectural designer with Carmina Wood & Morris who said he has only known the Central Terminal “as a ruin,” said the loft space may be the most intriguing part of the plan.
“On a clear, clear day you can see Toronto from the top of the tower. The views are spectacular in any direction,” Lang said.
