Museum complex suggested for Metro Rail terminal near HSBC Arena
Riverfront structure offers space, view
The historic Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad terminal at the foot of Main Street, behind HSBC Arena, could have a future as the home for a number of museums.
Gregory Stamm, chairman of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, confirmed Wednesday he has had informal discussions with the agency overseeing inner harbor redevelopment about using the upper floor of the terminal.
“The door has always been open to making the DL&W a part of waterfront redevelopment,” Stamm said.
“Certainly, from a geographic standpoint, the building is an integral piece of the inner harbor’s future,” he added.
Jordan A. Levy, chairman of the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp., the entity steering the $400 million Canal Side effort, called the talks preliminary but purposeful.
“As we’re putting together a master plan for Canal Side, the DL&W has to be part of it. Even though it’s a working building for the NFTA, we’d be stupid to ignore its potential,” Levy said.
The two-story structure on the Buffalo River was built in 1917 as part of the DL&W rail and ship terminal complex. The NFTA use the nearly block-long ground floor to house and service Metro Rail cars.
With 64,000 square feet of interior space and a 30,000-square-foot open deck, the upper floor offers rehabitable space the size of a football field — as well as sweeping views of city’s harbor-front.
“The idea we’re floating is to use that space to house a number of museums,” Levy said.
Concepts under discussion range from a collection of small cultural arts groups needing affordable space, to “satellite” galleries for the area’s large, well-established museums.
Possibilities include moving the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park to the former terminal, freeing the current site for a museum devoted solely to the Erie Canal.
“There’s a lot of ideas on the table, and we should have a clearer direction in the next few months. As of now there’s no set plan,” said Levy, who made a presentation Wednesday to the Buffalo Place board of directors.
The 91-year-old rail terminal, largely idle since the early 1960s, previously had been considered for museums, a shopping mall, office complex and a farmers’ market.
In 2005, the Seneca Gaming Corp. held talks with the NFTA about acquiring the site for casino- related use.
After a $53 million overhaul, the harbor area, which has been publicly accessible since May 23, officially will open with ceremonies next Wednesday.
It will be the site of an Independence Day celebration, with music and other activities beginning at 4 p. m. and a fireworks display at 9:45 on the Fourth of July.
