Terminal City
This image is a composite of two different photographs — Buffalo City Hall, the hub of city government, and the New York Central Terminal, an abandoned and decaying building just outside downtown Buffalo. Both buildings are prime examples of Art Deco architecture, and therefore seemed to be a perfect match for this piece. There is a fear that, like Frank Lloyd Wright's revolutionary Larkin Building, the Central Terminal and many other architecturally and historically significant buildings in town might be demolished. I try to demonstrate their value by taking them out of the context of abandoned eyesores and displaying them in more recognizable settings.
This image is first in a planned series that will contrast the decay of some of the city's most beautiful buildings with those that are still a vital part of the city. With closer inspection, you can see that the tower is not actually symmetrical, other than the central vertex that runs its height. The larger view is 55.2k. Want to see a before and after?
Begun in 1927 by New York Central and completed in 1929, The New York Central Terminal (the tower of which is featured in this photo composite) was to be a central location between Chicago and New York City, the rail line's largest markets. Located in East Buffalo after the demolition of 150 homes, the station boasted greater safety by avoiding the need to back trains in and out of the city, as other rail lines had to do with their terminals in the heart of downtown Buffalo. It was hoped that the city would expand to meet the terminal, with businesses attracted by more passengers coming through the terminal. Five months after opening, the Depression settled on the United States, and the Central Terminal never made money or drew the crowds it was designed to accommodate. With the advent of other forms of transportation and the construction of a downtown rail station in 1949, the Central Terminal slid into disuse in the 1950s.
Despite an attempt to convert the building to stores and offices along with a recently-constructed depot, by 1960 New York Central had the terminal back with no plans in place for its future. After rail mergers and failures, the Central Terminal saw limited traffic throughout the 70s with Amtrak and Conrail. In 1984, despite decay and failure to pay back taxes by its owner, the Central Terminal was listed in the National Registry of Historic Places for its Art Deco architecture, but in 1986, after the owner's on-site apartment was destroyed by fire and Conrail had officially pulled out, the building was completely abandoned.
By 1990, most of the elements of the building had been pillaged - door knobs, pipes, flashing, fixtures. In addition, this destruction led to the interior being exposed to the elements to the point that plants grow within the building now. For a few years the passenger concourse was used to store heavy equipment, but in 1997 was purchased by the Central Terminal Preservation Company with the pledge to stop the decay, and begin work to restore the building.
You can find much more detailed information on the history, decline, and politics of the New York Central Terminal [http://bhw.buffnet.net/terminal/] at the Buffalo History Works [http://bhw.buffnet.net/] site.
The main building in the photograph is Buffalo City Hall. Built between 1929 and 1931, it's a spectacular example of Art Deco in the city and is adorned with 21 exterior friezes, bronze doors with depictions of the Indian tribes that were displaced from the area, and a tower (not seen in this photo) with a tiled mosaic running its perimeter, a glass dome, and an observatory on the 25th floor. Inside the building, the lobby features a mosaic ceiling depicting Buffalo's past, a skylight in the Common Council Chambers on the 13th floor, and original Art Deco elements throughout.
The 93 foot-high, 62 foot-wide (at its base) Vermont marble obelisk in front of the building is the McKinley monument, named after the 26th president of the United States as a memorial to his assassination in Buffalo in 1901 while attending the Pan-American Exposition. Constructed in 1907, it features four inscriptions about McKinley carved into its sides, and giant turtles and sleeping lions at its base facing the points of the compass.
