Russell Pawlak steps aside after 10 years as volunteer
Ten years ago, Central Terminal was an uninhabited and dilapidated relic in danger of the wrecking ball.
Today, the 17-story art deco former train station on the East Side is still a long way from full restoration, but it has become a popular site for community and offbeat artistic events.
The surprising transformation wouldn’t have happened without Russell Pawlak, the former pitchman, marketer and, some people contend, visionary who grew up on Milburn Street, in the shadow of Central Terminal.
Now, after a decade of volunteer involvement, including the last eight as president of the Central Terminal Restoration Corp., Pawlak is hanging up his conductor’s cap.
“I’m very proud of the role I’ve played in the project, no matter how small or large you want to consider it to be. We proved a band of creative, dedicated people could make a difference,” Pawlak said.
Mike Miller, the organization’s acting president, credits Pawlak with giving the public the chance to reconnect, or experience for the first time, one of Buffalo’s architectural icons.
“Had it not been for Russell’s hard work in the last 10 years, we wouldn’t even be on the map,” Miller said. “In the early days, he had to really fight for attention because we were told no one would want to come to the East Side.”
Central Terminal opened in June 1929 at Paderewski Drive and Curtiss Street, an example of the art deco movement so popular during that decade.
The station, which in its heyday saw 200 passenger trains daily, was closed 50 years later when the last Amtrak train pulled out in October 1979. City of Buffalo negligence, followed by a succession of private owners and vandalism, resulted in the building’s being stripped of its decorative ornamentations.
Pawlak became involved with saving Central Terminal through an annual cleanup of the station grounds, just before the nonprofit Central Terminal Restoration Corp. had formed and purchased the structure for $1.
The group secured a grant to repair and light the four exterior bronze and glass tower clocks and the crown of the tower, both of which Pawlak called a “good symbolic gesture.”
Then, it received a $1 million grant from Erie County to stabilize the building and seal it from the elements and intruders.
The grant also paid for the removal of more than 350 tons of debris, 1.5 million gallons of water from lower levels, roof repairs and the enclosure of 4,000 windows.
The event that really turned heads came in 2003, when an estimated 4,000 people waited in line, some for hours, to get the first public look inside in nearly a quarter of a century.
In recent years, thousands of people have showed up at a time to attend a wide array of events, from Hallwalls Contemporary Art Center’s “Artists and Models” event to this year’s second annual Dyngus Day celebration.
Eva Hassett, chief of staff for former Mayor Anthony M. Masiello during those early years, praised Pawlak’s efforts. “He has shown amazing instincts at knowing how to connect the building to the community, which is how I think buildings get saved.”
Pawlak believes the group’s steady approach, with concrete gains at each step, proved to the public that something could be done with the building in a city where projects often fail.
Pawlak said he needs a break after going full steam ahead for so long. He hopes the day comes when the building finds the mixed-use tenants he believes will ensure its long-term viability and wishes the volunteer organization continued success.
“When I think about the Central Terminal, I think of the [poet] Delmore Schwartz’s line, ‘In dreams begin responsibilities,’ he said. “We had a dream for a building; in order to execute it there are a lot of responsibilities.”
msommer@buffnews.com
We would like to express our sincere gratitude for Russell’s many years of dedication and service to this project. Had it not been for his unyielding determination in those early years, the project would not be enjoying the successes that have been seen in recent years.
The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation has appointed Michael Miller as interim President, Mark Lewandowski as interim Vice President in addition to his responsibilities as Treasurer and Sara Etten will remain as Secretary. Ed Werick, Yuri Hreschyshyn and Kate Resetarits will also remain on the board.
We are looking forward to another busy and fulfilling series of events at the Central Terminal this summer!
