On behalf of the Board of Directors of the Central Terminal Restoration Corp., we wish all our volunteers, patrons, and supporters a safe and Merry Christmas, and very happy holiday season.  Our accomplishments this past year have furthered our goal of reuse and rehabilitation of this great building.  More importantly, we have introduced people and organizations from across the country and around the world to our project.

Thank you for all your help and support this year and we look forward to seeing you all again in 2012!

Mark A. Lewandowski

“All of us at the National Trust have warm memories of our time in Buffalo, and we are thrilled to be coming back so soon to give a gift to one of Buffalo’s unique historic sites, just in time for the holidays,” said Stephanie Meeks, National Trust for Historic Preservation president. “We were inspired by the many local residents who are passionate about preserving Buffalo’s outstanding historic places. ‘Buffalo Challenge’ will allow the Queen City to, once again, rally around preservation by voting for the most deserving historic place.”

To vote, you must have a Facebook account and accept the “Poll Daddy Application”. If you are new to Facebook, visit these resources for more information:

• Facebook Help Center
• Mashable’s Facebook Guide Book

If you’re unable to make it to the Broadway Market, you can shop online instead!  Be sure to place your order soon so it ships in time for Christmas.

Have you considered giving someone a Friends of the Central Terminal membership as a gift?  Don’t forget, $100 memberships receive a free, limited edition art print from WNY Book Arts Collaborative, while supplies last.

Here are photos from the Day of Caring:

Thank you and best wishes to all in the new year!

Mark A. Lewandowski
President / CEO
Central Terminal Restoration Corporation

Friend of the Central Terminal, and Buffalo State College student Christina Laing is currently showing her photographic works, which include several of the Terminal. You may recognize some of her work which has previous been used on our website, including the above banner image which was featured during the recent Ghost Hunters Live show.

The show runs through November 5th at Gallery 234 in Upton Hall of Buffalo State College.

The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation recently appointed Martin “Marty” Biniasz as Public Relations Coordinator, and Chair of the group’s Marketing Committee. Marty will help the group develop and overall marketing strategy and will be responsible for all external communications, publicity for events, and promotion of the CTRC’s mission and vision.

Marty has much experience with Buffalo’s East Side, serving as Chairman of the Broadway Market Advisory Task Force, co-founder of Dyngus Day Buffalo, and co-founder of Forgotten Buffalo Tours. He was named one of Western New York’s “40 Under 40″ by Business First in 2009, and serves on the Buffalo Niagara Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Marketing Committee. Marty is the Director of Marketing for Western Regional Off-Track Betting/Batavia Downs Casino.

Marty can be reached at mediarelations@buffalocentralterminal.org.

Click here to visit the webstore

This year, the CTRC and I were the subject for my friend (and CTRC Friend’s Member) Tracy Jaroszewski’s team.

You just know that you’ve “made it to the big time” when you’ve been immortalized as a peep!

PS – that’s me at the bottom of the tower.

This basilica is in danger of being closed and has some good people who are trying to save it, as diligently as we are trying to save our terminal. You can read more about the history of the basilica and the efforts to save it here.

This photo was taken last night by long-time CTRC member, Adam Vester, and is probably the BEST night shot I’ve ever seen of the terminal. You can check out the full size version here on Flickr.

Pat’s first impression, based on the new jeans and sneakers they were wearing, was that the kids would be more of a hindrance than help. And it was true that these kids had little or no experience with gardening, but after a little coaching, the kids really got into it. One of them asked Pat, “who pays you for doing this?”. When Pat replied that no one did, it must have made a lasting impression on these kids.

Ms. Triggs later called Pat and said “I don’t know what you said to them, but you touched their hearts. They call you the “Hope Ladies”!”. Pat told me that she cried when she heard that, and indeed, had tears in her eyes as she told that part of the story. I think those kids were touched by the fact that these ladies would actually volunteer their own time and money to make their neighborhood a little prettier.

Ms. Triggs returned with the kids the following week with about a hundred dollars worth of new flowers and mulch. The kids felt that the garden needed more flowers. And the best part, Pat told me last night that she, Mary Ellen and Carole had attended a couple of the kids’ graduation ceremony the night before, as special guests. The “Hope Ladies”, indeed. They brought hope to a generation that didn’t have much experience with hope.

Thank you Pat, Carole, Mary Ellen and all the regular volunteers of the BFWC who tend the Breast Cancer Awareness Garden. You touch all of our hearts!

When passenger rail service declined throughout the ‘50’s, ‘60’s and ‘70’s, the majority of America’s magnificent old train stations were rendered obsolete. In Buffalo, we know the dire consequences of this decline as experienced at our own magnificent Art Deco masterpiece, the Central Terminal. Cavernous train stations are a difficult fit for many adaptive reuses and due to the quality of the original materials and levels of decay experienced by many of these great stations, restoration can prove to be very costly.

Entering the picture last year with an intriguing solution is my friend, colleague and CTRC team member, Nick Kraus, who wrote his master thesis on the use of federal transportation funding sources such as SAFETEA-LU, which was the subject of a public meeting held Monday at Medaille College, as facilitated by Congressman Brian Higgins. In Nick’s thesis, he explains how Worcester, Massachusetts successfully used a combination of federal transportation funding sources (preceding SAFETEA-LU) to finance approximately 80% of the 2000 rehabilitation of their beautiful Beaux Arts Union Station from a decaying shell to an intermodal transportation facility.

You can read the whole story here.

Our next event is 3rd Annual Classic and Custom Car Show on July 26th. Be sure to see our event schedule for details and a complete listing of future events!

Volunteer Chris Podosek put the photo set up on Flickr.

I never really thought about it before.

Today, I was walking my dog and happened to notice the color. The sky was shades of gray with white blue swirls. There were sunbeams peeking out from the clouds and the birds were flying overhead. Even with the chill in the air, I felt warm. All around me there was color and life. I never really thought of it before.

This is the property surrounding the Central Terminal. I live in her shadow.

Since I moved here 15 years ago, I’ve watched the evolution! When I first moved in, there were mounds of dirt and garbage. The tire piles were huge. You couldn’t walk around the parking lot, there was too much trash, crumbled pavement and broken glass; walking around was considered unsafe. There were many nights of fire, with flaming invoices from years long past, billowing out the windows. The sound of vandals screaming from the towers and breaking glass was nothing new.

Then something happened. Someone showed they cared. Crews of volunteers started cleaning up the property. Then the roof got fixed. The windows were patched. The towers were magically lit. The clocks restored. New pavement. New trees. Old trees carved into new treasures! Daffodils! I even think I saw a cherry tree in full blossom today!

Every day, one of my dogs and I take our walk. My puppy is in training, so he gets unleashed; I only hope that he’ll remember to pay attention to me when I call. He’s so busy chasing bunnies and birds and smelling all the good smells of spring that he forgets himself! My other dog has short legs and tries her best to keep up, but she always stops to smell the flowers.

The three of us treasure this building. We are thankful for all the love and hard work that has made this such a wonderful place to walk and enjoy.

I’m noticing new faces. I’m noticing other people walking their dogs. I’m noticing other people walking the concourse. Just yesterday, I saw a little boy clutching his grandfather’s hand as they enjoyed the scenery. Grand dad was pointing to something high in the tower; it was probably the family of hawks that are living in there. On Fridays, if I’m lucky, I’ll even get to watch Cousin Kelly work on his tree carvings!

Each night, I look up from my bed through my window and can see the clocks in the tower. Each morning, I wake up to the same. Without it, I’d be lost.

I have always had faith that this building would return to her former glory. They say it won’t happen. I say it will. When I notice that the parking lot is full and there are cars lining Memorial Drive all the way from Fillmore to Broadway, I know great things are happening. It’s a beginning. It’s only the spring for the Terminal! With spring, everything is new again!

My advice? Dust yourself off after the long winter. Leash up your dog and head over to the terminal. Look for the hawks in the tower (or watch them hunt!) Notice the rabbits and the woodchucks. Enjoy the old trees that were painstakingly turned into artwork. Try to identify all the different types of trees that are starting to wake up from their naps. Watch the kids rollerblade. Take a few pictures. Enjoy the peace and quiet that you rarely find smack dab in the center of a city. People have worked hard to beautify the area. Enjoy their work! (And volunteer for their cleanup, especially if you enjoyed yourself!)