Have you ever thought about buying a holiday gift for your city? Now that's an unusual thought. To think that there is an opportunity to collectively purchase an original light fixture for the Central Terminal... yes, there is a light fixture for sale at an antique dealer in Toronto at this very moment, and there is an effort in place to secure enough funds to purchase the historic relic.
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The way that this all came about is kind of neat. The Central Terminal Restoration Corporation identified that one of the terminal's original light fixtures was for sale for $9000 (Facebook post). Then, Broadway Fillmore Alive posted the fixture on its Facebook page, and friends of the organization stated that they would be willing to donate chunks of change to purchase the item in order to restore it to its original home. You can see how it all transpired on Facebook.
In a stroke of luck, the Toronto antique dealer agreed to sell it back to Buffalo for a more reasonable price of $3000, only if it was to be returned to the terminal.
As of today, the group is on its way to achieving its final goal of securing the fixture (see widget below). I believe that at the end of the day the widget updates the amount raised. You can click on the chart to View Daily Progress.
Here's how you can help - from Broadway Fillmore Alive:
Donate via credit card (see ChipIn's link to Paypal in widget above) or make checks payable and send to Broadway Fillmore Alive - Attn: Chris Byrd - 442 Campus Drive - Buffalo, NY 14226. If additional funds are raised, the money will be given to the Central Terminal. Keep tabs on the ChipIn widget for updated donation level.
The dealer has agreed to hold the fixture for 45 days. Our fundraising effort will end on 12/24/2012.
Any amount you can contribute will help the effort. There is a lot of love for the Central Terminal and this is a great way for the community to support the efforts of the CTRC to keep this neighborhood treasure ALIVE!
Please share this Paypal link.
If you have any questions, please contact Broadway Fillmore Alive
Thank you to Navarro Gallery for working with us.
From Marilyn Rodgers Executive Director/CEO Central Terminal Restoration Corporation:
"On behalf of the Buffalo Central Terminal and the Central Terminal Restoration Corp, I thank you all for this effort. We have a great deal of work to do on the structure and we're forging ahead with vigor. But it's community-driven and dedicated partner organizations like Broadway-Fillmore Alive, working to bring back those intricate elements that are, frankly, out of the budget for now, to the Terminal. The synergy I've experienced since coming aboard has been and continues to be amazing! Efforts like this allow us to all work together on this monumental project that will, in the end, become the Center for Restorative Arts & Sciences and an economic engine for the community-at-large."
I hope this makes it back to the Central Terminal.
Perhaps the CTRC should look into selling replicas of these things. This would make the coolest lamp or side table (I'm not sure of the scale). I wonder how expensive it would be to make fiberglass or plastic replicas. I'd definitely buy one.