The Buffalo Brewfest was my first trip to the Central Terminal. What a great place for the festival and what a great structure!
 

I enjoyed brewfest but I have to be honest. The terminal is incredibly dilapidated. why don't they take out all the broken glass inside? why don't they tear down the side building that is completely destroyed. I spent a considerable amount of time in the building in 1979 when Conrail moved 700 people out. It was in very bad condition back then but is significantly worse now. I respect the zeal of people trying to do something & wish you could be successful, but honestly, you need to give up the ghost. The structure is shot, it's been stripped to the bones and doesn't even have working toilets.
Frankly, I was shocked at how bad it was since that's all that's published is progress and dreams, etc.
I cannot in good conscious support any revival effort of this structure that is way beyond salvation. It needs to be torn down to allow that area to start some sort of rebuilding.
 

Mr. Miller you must respound to that comment.
 

I'm sorry you feel that way. I obviously don't agree. The tower, concourse and baggage building are all structurally sound and salvagable.

Tearing it down is NOT an option. At a price tag of $20 million for demolition, it's very unlikely that the city (were it to gain possession of it) would be able to afford that any time soon. It would most likely sit and rot for decades, like it once did, and like Transfiguration Church is doing. The difference is that Transfiguration is built with wood and the terminal with concrete and steel. Transfiguration will eventually fall down. The terminal will not.

What would you do?
 

Mike, I wrote the above comments. As I said, I respect your zeal & understand the high cost of demolition. I still think that the reality is that we will be looking at the same dilapidated structure in 20 years and honestly question whether any progress will ever really happen. History is the only evidence I can provide.
What would I do? Well, I would demolish that horrible side building at the very least. It's an eyesore and does nothing to enhance any potential viability of the tower, which is really the most valuable part of the whole complex. I would level that whole section then. I do not know what it looks like on the railtrack side of the building so can't offer much comment there.
On the interior of the tower, take out all broken glass panes. Scrub off all the flaking paint. Repaint anything that is visible at the very least. Take out all busted doors. Repaint the signage, much of which is faded away. I couldn't really assess the floor due to the crowds.
My recollection of the tower upper floors (based on many trips up the elevator in 1979 to all floors) is that they were in very bad shape then. Conrail had tons of paper documents in old file cabinets back then. I believe that many of the ceilings had been caving in but my recollection is dim.
The building must be secured so that no more graffiti is on the inside.
Finally, the whole neighborhood is unfortunately dilapidated as well. You can't solve that, only a mass program to tear down dilapidated buildings & houses, plus some tax cuts that encourage investment (sorry, I'm definitely an advocate of lower gov't spending & taxes).
Your hearts are in the right place, but my prediction that we will still be pretty much in the same predicament in 20 years still stands. I know you may ask, "Why don't you get involved & help?" and that is a valid question. Some people may think I'm just another naysayer, but so be it. I just don't have the zeal you do. I wish you luck and also wish you can prove me wrong.
Thank you for allowing me to anonymously express an opinion that I'm sure does not match what most visitors to this site believe.
 

Everyone has a right to their own opinions, there's no harm in that!

If you'd ever like to discuss privately or in person, feel free to contact me via the "Contact" page.
 

more bathrooms next year. I don't like seeing people going near their cars on the way out.