Erie Freight House Nominated for Landmark Status

Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) has nominated the Erie Freight House to be designated a City of Buffalo landmark. According to PBN executive director Henry McCartney, "The Erie Freight House is an extremely significant building on the Buffalo River, a rare survivor of Buffalo's early industrial heritage that is incredibly important to our city."

Local preservation officials have been scrambling to save the condemned structure as rumors were flying that a buyer that has the site under contract was looking to demolish the building.  That turned out to be untrue.  The potential purchaser, not ready to go public, is said to be "preservation minded without definite plans for the site."

Nomination of the site is moving forward however.  The Buffalo Preservation Board will hold a public hearing on this nomination at 3 PM on December 1st at Buffalo City Hall, 9th Floor.

Kerry L. Traynor prepared the Erie Freight House nominations for PBN.  Professor Traynor is an award-winning adjunct professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University at Buffalo, where she teaches about historic preservation and Western New York's heritage.

The c. 1868 Erie Freight House was documented as part of an in-depth study of Buffalo's transshipment history conducted by graduate students Geoffrey Butler and Michael Zimmerman, under the direction of Professor Traynor.  

In addition, the State Historic Preservation Office has issued a letter stating that the Erie Freight House is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. Architectural historian Frank Kowsky, SUNY Distinguished Professor Emeritus, has sent a letter supporting the nomination.

According to Professor Traynor, "The Erie Freight House is the only extant freight depot/warehouse building in Buffalo associated with the Erie Canal and historic railway companies along the Buffalo River. Freight houses are a building type that once dominated the banks of the Buffalo River - the Erie Freight House is all that remains."

"Their low-slung, horizontal profile was a contrast to the prominent vertical profiles of the grain elevators. Freight houses were an essential component of Buffalo's transshipment industry that began with the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, and continued into the mid 20th-century. The confluence of water-borne and railroad shipping in the 1840's was responsible for Buffalo's industrial and commercial boom years, and the wealth of succeeding decades. Buffalo was positioned with advantages no other city had: it sat at the precipice of the Great Lakes, at the terminus of the Erie Canal, it had growing rail infrastructure, and was the heart of technological innovations in the grain and goods shipping industries. The Erie Freight House played a pivotal role in this development. One could argue that our rich architectural heritage - the works of Richardson, Sullivan, Wright, Olmsted - in addition to other masters who designed and built the magnificent structures that line our streets and neighborhoods would not exist had it not been for Buffalo's industrial heritage, and transshipment industry."

The building is a two-story heavy timber frame structure of @ 110 feet wide and 550 feet long, sited on the edge of the Buffalo River. The exterior of the Erie Freight House is a rusted metal siding that likely covers the structure's original clapboard.   

The Erie Freight House has been owned for many years by Great Lakes Paper, Inc., headquartered in New York City. This paper recycling business recently relocated after City building inspectors condemned the building. According to Common Councilman David Franczyk, whose district includes the Erie Freight House, "The historically significant 1868 freight house on the Ohio River is worthy of restoration as a catalyst for the continued revitalization of Buffalo's waterfront, terminus of the Erie Canal and cradle of the city's industrial origins. It is required of the owner of this currently neglected structure to adhere to all city building codes and laws in order to enhance the building's future re-use."

Executive Director Henry McCartney stressed that "It is important that this historic building be protected and decisions about its future be closely reviewed by a public body.  The Buffalo Preservation Board is best suited to provide that review." Added Mr. McCartney, "The National Preservation Conference reinforced for us all the importance of Buffalo's architectural heritage. The Erie Freight House is a potential opportunity to continue building upon this heritage."   PBN served as the Conference's host organization.
 
The Nomination (without photos), the SHPO Determination of Eligibility, and the letter of support from Dr. Frank Kowsky are posted here.

1949 photo of the scow American shows the Erie Freight House on the opposite shore; photo used by permission of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society.