Exploring the Lost Places of the Sister Cities
Timothy McMahon
ENG 105
Macy McDonald
02/28/2018
Exploring the Lost Places of the Sister Cities
I have lived in Rochester, New York since I was 2 years old. Growing up, I never really had a thing. You know, some kids are really in to painting, some love to sing, others to dance, and so on. I loved sports, but I was not good enough to ever have a future as a professional athlete. I did alright in school, but I’m not the next rocket scientist. It wasn’t until I was about 15 that I really found my passion, which is to explore; more specifically, to explore the lost history of my city.
When I got in to high school, I started to realize how awesome Rochester was. Everyone hated it but I saw just how jam packed the city is of cool places. In just a couple days you can go to the Strong National Museum of Play and relive the glory days of being a child, go to the Memorial Art Gallery and see some of the greatest works of art in America, then visit the George Eastman House and tour the home of the man who created Kodak and revolutionized photography, and that’s just hitting up the museums. The restaurants and cafes are a world of their own. Places like Javas coffee shop are where I spent much of my day, taking in the aroma of fresh coffee beans and enjoying the sweet taste of a vanilla latte. If I’m feeling hungry, I’ll head to dog town and get a greasy yet satisfying garbage plate and stuff myself full .All of these places are awesome spots to waste away hours of the day, but I am most interested in the more “off the grid” locations of Rochester. Two that come to mind right away are the abandoned subway and the Lower Falls of the Genesee River.
The Rochester Subway was used during the 1930’s to 1950’s and ran about 10 miles, with multiple stops throughout downtown. For the first few years of operation, the subway was a complete success. Many people opted to use the efficient railway instead of being caught in the busy traffic that the businesses of downtown Rochester generated. As well as reducing traffic, the railway also brought a ton of money to the city and allowed for other public projects to be funded. The railway wowed people as it was among the earliest underground railways produced for public use. It was, at the time a modern marvel.
Despite the early success of the subway and the tremendous potential it had to reinvent Rochester, it was never used as much as the city had hoped. The main issue came from funding disputes between the public and urban planners working for the city. Many people wanted the railway to spread out to the suburbs of Rochester, such as Greece, Irondequoit, Penfield, etc. However, city officials refused to do this, as they believed that allowing easier access to the suburbs would take revenue away from the city itself. This made the usefulness of the railway decline and by 1957, the railway had made its last stop. The Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway was closed for good.
For 60 years, nothing was done with the subway, leaving a vast span of empty tunnels running throughout the city. Some people around the city decided to find a better use for the empty corridors. Graffiti artists began to come down to the subway and cover the concrete walls with all kinds of art. Paintings range from crudely spray painted words to giant works of art. Going down there, it is almost as if you are visiting a museum of street art. Every day teens and adults alike take trips to visit one of the most infamous places in the city. It is almost a rite of passage. To truly be a Rochestarian, you have to go down there at least once.
For 60 years, nothing was done with the subway, leaving a vast span of empty tunnels running throughout the city. Some people around the city decided to find a better use for the empty corridors. Graffiti artists began to come down to the subway and cover the concrete walls with all kinds of art. Paintings range from crudely spray painted words to giant works of art. Going down there, it is almost as if you are visiting a museum of street art. Every day teens and adults alike take trips to visit one of the most infamous places in the city. It is almost a rite of passage. To truly be a Rochestarian, you have to go down there at least once.
Now I’m in college, in an environment where everyone is dealing with their identity. Some people will try to completely reinvent themselves now that they are out of the pressure-filled confines of their high school, while others will fight with all their strength to hang on to those precious times and their closest friends. I find myself on the latter of the two. I retained most of my friends from high school; some even go to college here in Buffalo with me. We also still have that desire to go out and explore the places that have been forgotten by society. Being that Buffalo and Rochester are sister cities, it was only fitting that the first place we checked out was the abandoned train terminal on Main Street, downtown Buffalo.
The Buffalo Central Terminal, like the Rochester Industrial and Rapid Transit Railway, was built and made popular in the early 1930’s. However, unlike the Rochester subway, this station remained operational until 1979. The station then succumbed to the same fate as its former; it was partially demolished then abandoned, and still stands 39 years later. At the time it was constructed, the BCT served both as a train station as well as an architectural work of art. Paintings, statues, murals, and all other kinds of artwork decorated the entire terminal, as well as the fact that the terminal towered over the city and had an intricate design itself.
The BCT was it its peak shortly before and during WWII, as railroad transportation was the most efficient way of transporting both people and supplied across the country. However, after WWII the station began its steady decline. Between 1947 and 1957 the BCT lost nearly a third of its passenger usage and had to begin to rely on freight transportation as its man source of revenue. On top of this, any passengers the trains did take ended up costing the station more than they were making, as the government was in control of train rates. The final blow to the Buffalo Central Terminal was the foundation of Amtrak, which used more modern and efficient trains. Amtrak bought the BCT, but soon abandoned the terminal in favor of building a new one on Dick Road. This leads to where the terminal sits today; abandoned, untouched, and a mere shell of what it once was.
Going to the BCT today is tricky, but very doable. The city has not done much to keep explorers out, other than setting up a crude fence around the perimeter, which is very easy to get across. Once inside it is like experiencing a flashback. The building is still perfectly intact, and minus some debris and peeling paint on the walls. It is definitely an eerie feeling being in the large corridors that used to be bustling with people, yet the silence and echoes of every footstep make the place seem very peaceful. We were not able to spend much time there, as security does make rounds, but it was definitely a place to behold.
Getting into the terminal will get increasingly harder, but for a good reason. A non-profit organization called the Central Terminal Restoration Corporation now owns the building and is working to restore and repurpose the terminal into an area where one can walk around and see the history of Buffalo with their own eyes. Soon, the lonely hallways and empty rooms of the BCT will once again be filled with people and will hopefully become a focal point of the city; but for now, it still remains as it is, a relic of the past.
So if you find yourself looking for your identity, for something you have a drive for, for your thing,then this may be where you can start. Rochester raised me, and that is where my itch to explore started. The history, the culture, the things that everyone who claims they hate the city ignore fuel my love and respect for a city that has left its mark in the world. That itch however, has followed me here to Buffalo. I find myself fascinated by the history and culture of Rochester’s sister city, and maybe your itch can begin here too. Don’t let the people who hate the city for no reason tell you about it. Figure it out for yourself, you may just find a new passion in your life. So feed into that itch to explore. It is a good itch to have, and the beauty is that it will never go away.
Works Cited
CITY Newspaper. https://rochesercitynewspaper.com
“History and Restoration.” Buffalo Central Terminal Corporation.
http://buffalocentralterminal.org
Priebe Sr., J. Henry. “Buffalo Central Terminal and the Rialroad Passenger.” National
Railway Historical Society, 2002. http://central.terminal.railfan.net/history.html
Riley, David. “Development Near Old Rochester Subway May Advance.” Democrat &
Chronicle, 31 May 2016. https://democratandchronicle.com/story/news/2016/05/31/development-near-old-rochester-subway-may-advance/85197440/
Vondrak, Otto M. “The Orphan Subway”
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