Concrete-Central Elevator

Last updated
Concrete-Central Elevator
Concrete-Central Elevator, 175 Buffalo River, Buffalo (Erie County, New York).jpg
Concrete-Central Elevator
USA New York location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location175 Buffalo River, Buffalo, New York
Coordinates 42°51′37″N78°51′20″W / 42.86028°N 78.85556°W / 42.86028; -78.85556 Coordinates: 42°51′37″N78°51′20″W / 42.86028°N 78.85556°W / 42.86028; -78.85556
Area3 acres (1.2 ha)
Built1915
ArchitectWait, H.R.; Monarch Engineering Co.
MPS Buffalo Grain and Materials Elevator MPS
NRHP reference No. 03000410 [1]
Added to NRHPMay 19, 2003

Concrete-Central Elevator is a historic grain elevator located on the Buffalo River at 175 Buffalo River (750 Ohio St.) Buffalo in Erie County, New York.

Contents

History

Concrete Central was built between 1915 and 1917 at the height of World War I. Due to its being the largest grain elevator in the world and concerns about German sabotage, Concrete Central's method of construction was top secret. The facility was utilized for grain storage until 1966. Concrete Central stretches along the Buffalo River for almost a quarter of a mile and was the largest transfer elevator in the world at the time of its completion in 1917. [2] It is also the largest elevator ever built in the Buffalo area. When in operation, it had the capacity to handle a total of 4.5 million US bushels (160,000 m3) of grain. The elevator allowed crews to load and unload 20 railroad cars an hour, and three marine legs along the Buffalo River side could load and unload three massive lake freighters at one time.

In the news

In 1976, a young boy was killed in a fall after climbing to the roof of the building. The City of Buffalo removed nearly all stairs from the multiple staircases in the structure to secure the building from a similar tragedy. [2]

On May 28, 2013, at roughly 1630 hrs the Buffalo Fire Department received multiple reports of smoke showing from the roof of the Concrete Central main elevator. Due to the location of the grain elevator and no accessible roads to the complex, the Buffalo Fire Department requested Engine 20, the Edward M. Cotter (fireboat) to respond and extinguish the flames only. It took several hours but the fire was contained to small area of the roof and put out. Buffalo Fire Arson Investigators were investigating possible arson at the complex. No damage estimate was listed, and no injuries were reported. [3]

Location

The complex sits on a remote parcel, with the only land access attainable via multiple railroad bridges from the northside of the complex and one railroad service road. The complex is easily viewable from the Red Jacket Park located at the foot of Smith Street or for kayakers in the Buffalo River. This area, riddled with mostly inactive but a few operational elevators, is known as Silo City.

Present day

Following 1966, Concrete Central changed ownership multiple times but sat idle. [4] In 1975 Concrete Central was abandoned as a derelict property. Machinery, furniture and metal as well as other items have been looted from the building leaving it an unsecured empty shell to this day.

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

Grain elevator Grain storage building

A grain elevator is an agrarian facility complex designed to stockpile or store grain. In grain trade, the term "grain elevator" also describes a tower containing a bucket elevator or a pneumatic conveyor, which scoops up grain from a lower level and deposits it in a silo or other storage facility.

Buffalo Central Terminal

Buffalo Central Terminal is a historic former railroad station in Buffalo, New York. An active station from 1929 to 1979, the 17-story Art Deco style station was designed by architects Fellheimer & Wagner for the New York Central Railroad. After years of abandonment, it is now owned by the non-profit preservation group Central Terminal Restoration Corporation, which is working to restore and re-purpose the complex. The Central Terminal is located in the city of Buffalo's Broadway/Fillmore district.

Buffalo City Hall Skyscraper and municipal building in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo City Hall is the seat for municipal government in the City of Buffalo, New York. Located at 65 Niagara Square, the 32-story Art Deco building was completed in 1931 by Dietel, Wade & Jones.

<i>Edward M. Cotter</i> (fireboat) Fireboat for the Buffalo Fire Department

Edward M. Cotter is a fireboat in use by the Buffalo Fire Department at Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally named William S. Grattan, it was built in 1900 by the Crescent Shipyard of Elizabeth Port, New Jersey. Due to age, it was rebuilt in 1953 and renamed Firefighter upon its return to service. The following year it was renamed Edward M. Cotter. its namesake, Edward Cotter, was a Buffalo firefighter and leader of the local firefighters union who had recently died.

Sheridan Flouring Mills, Inc. United States historic place

The Sheridan Flouring Mills, also known as the Mill Inn, are an industrial complex in Sheridan, Wyoming. The mills were a major component of the economy of north central Wyoming, providing collection, storage and milling of locally produced wheat and other grains into flour and other milled products. The original mill was established by Captain Scott W. Snively in the early 1890s. The Sheridan Milling and Manufacturing Company was sold to J.W. Denio in 1903, who operated the mill at its location on Broadway Avenue near downtown Sheridan. A catastrophic fire destroyed this mill in 1919, resulting in the purchase of a new location on Coffeen Avenue and construction of a much larger mill.

Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic Church Buildings United States historic place

Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic Church Buildings is a historic Romanesque revival Roman Catholic church complex located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It is part of the Diocese of Buffalo.

Wollenberg Grain and Seed Elevator United States historic place

Wollenberg Grain and Seed Elevator was a historic grain and seed elevator located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It was built in 1912 and remained in service until 1987. It was notable as the sole surviving example of a wooden or so-called "country style" elevator. It was built in the style of the earliest elevators dating to the 1840s and had a capacity of 25,000 bushels.

Architecture of Buffalo, New York

The Architecture of Buffalo, New York, particularly the buildings constructed between the American Civil War and the Great Depression, is said to have created a new, distinctly American form of architecture and to have influenced design throughout the world.

A. Mendelson and Son Company Building United States historic place

The A. Mendelson and Son Company Building is located on Broadway in Albany, New York, United States. It is a brick industrial building erected in the early 20th century. In 2003 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is one of the few intact examples of the early 20th century industrial architecture of Albany.

Cargill Pool Elevator

The Cargill Pool Elevator is a grain storage facility in Buffalo harbor built in the 1920s and previously named the Saskatchewan Cooperative Elevator. The elevator is the only grain elevator in Buffalo that is located directly adjacent to Lake Erie.

Adams Woodframe Grain Elevator United States historic place

The Adams Woodframe Grain Elevator is a grain elevator in Adams, Oklahoma. The elevator was built in 1926, the same year the community of Adams was established by the Tex-Co Grain Company. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad opened a line past the grain elevator in 1929, which linked Amarillo, Texas to Liberal, Kansas. The elevator has mainly held wheat, the primary crop in the area, and operated continuously from its opening to at least 1983. The grain was shipped by railroad from Adams to markets in either Fort Worth, Texas or Galveston, Texas On May 13, 1983, the elevator was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was burned down around August 22, 2018 because of safety issues.

Bloomington freight station United States historic place

The Bloomington freight station is a historic train station in downtown Bloomington, Indiana, United States. Constructed in the early twentieth century, it has endured closure and a series of modifications to survive to the present day, and it has been declared a historic site. Used only occasionally for many years, it is one of the most important buildings in a large historic district on the city's west side.

Great Northern Elevator

The Great Northern Elevator is a grain storage facility at 250 Ganson Street in Buffalo, New York. The elevator is located along Buffalo's "elevator alley" and at the time of its completion in 1897, the elevator was the world's largest. The mill was also one of the first to run on electricity.

American Grain Complex United States historic place

American Grain Complex, also known as "The American," Russell-Miller Milling Co. Elevator, and Peavey Co. Elevator, is a historic grain elevator and flour milling complex located in South Buffalo, Buffalo, Erie County, New York. The complex consists of three contributing buildings and two contributing structures. They are the Elevator Building, Flour Building (1906-1924), office building, Moveable Marine Tower, and railroad tracks. The Elevator Building consists of the mainhouse, workhouse, and fixed marine tower, all built in 1905–1906, and an annex constructed in 1931. The complex was last owned by ConAgra Foods, who closed the elevator and mill in June 2001.

Bangor Elevator United States historic place

The Bangor Elevator is a grain elevator located at 142 West Monroe Street in Bangor, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

Joseph Dart

Joseph Dart (1799–1876) was an American lawyer, businessman and an entrepreneur associated with the grain industry. He learned the Iroquois language and his Buffalo-based trading business benefited from the construction of the Erie Canal. Dart is credited with helping to invent the steam-powered Grain elevator.

Darts Elevator

Dart's Elevator was the world's first steam-powered grain elevator. It was designed and built by Joseph Dart and Robert Dunbar in 1842 in Buffalo, New York. The elevator burned in the 1860s.

Erie Basin Marina Municipal inland harbor in Buffalo, NY

The Erie Basin Marina is a municipal inland harbor in Buffalo, New York. The marina is primarily for residential usage, containing a large array of boat docks, gardens, and a public observatory overlooking the city and waterfront. The marina's harbor discharges into the Niagara River and Lake Erie.

Rochester Grain Elevator United States historic place

The Rochester Grain Elevator, formerly the Griggs Brothers Grain Elevator, is a grain elevator located at 303 East University Drive in Rochester, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Leary, Thomas E.; Healey, John R.; Sholes, Elizabeth C. (1991). "Concrete-Central Elevator" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-04-24. Retrieved April 24, 2014.
  3. ↑ Michel, Lou (2013-05-28). "Fireboat called upon to battle fire at Buffalo grain elevator". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2013-05-29.
  4. ↑ "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2015-07-01. Retrieved 2016-07-01.Note: This includes Claire L. Ross (September 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Concrete-Central Elevator" (PDF). Retrieved 2016-07-01. and Accompanying four photographs
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.