The Erie Train Station is a very gothic looking building embedded on the hillside. This reminded me of a small version of Central Terminal Station here in Buffalo. The one thing that stands out most is the clock in the front of the building. The train station is very vandalized as their are some holes in the windows. The bars on the windows giving the place a more foreboding feel. We wanted to investigate this since it is a fact most train stations are haunted by ghost who still think they are boarding there next train. Alot of residual energy would be the obvious at place such as this. I have posted below a little history on the Train Station and the Erie Railroad the articles are very informative and contain a little history. The one thing that is enjoyable when walking around this place is the arched ceilings, tiled floors, and the old oak benches that still are here. The place is very large and in my opinion I do think a few ghost reside here or some sort of residual energy you can just feel it here.

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Rick-AngelOfThyNight

More prologue photos from inside this grand place and investigation coming soon!!!

Erie Lackawanna Railroad Passenger Station

The passenger station of the Erie Railroad, built in 1931, was central to Jamestown’s bustling daily life and served as the gateway to the city, and to the outside world. Both historically and architecturally significant, the station stands as a reminder of the cultural and economic impact of the railroad on the development of Jamestown. Currently vacant, the station suffers from general neglect and, given its condition and location, if it continues to deteriorate, it is in danger of being demolished. 

Jamestown was a growing and thriving community in the heyday of the railroad. The arrival of the Erie Railroad in 1860 was the catalyst for development in terms of both tourism and industry. The area’s agricultural products and manufactured goods flowed along this economic lifeline and travelers enjoyed years of reliable passenger service.

Throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, rail passenger facilities in Jamestown saw a steady improvement. In 1865 the first railroad station was erected, followed in 1897 by a larger, more impressive brick station. Finally, in 1931, the last and grandest station to be erected.

The architect for the station was Erie Railroad architect Graham King. The design shares characteristics displayed by more monumental contemporary Art Deco buildings in Western New York as Feldheimer and Wagner’s New York Central Terminal (1929) in Buffalo and John Wade’s Buffalo City Hall (1929). The station is a fine local example of the Art Deco, a style of architecture that was popular nationwide in the 1920s and 1930s, especially for commercial and institutional buildings. It brought to Jamestown an element of modernity and elegance that was suggestive of the progressive values of the bustling city, the hopes of the Erie Railroad for a bright future, and the glamour of travel that awaited passengers upon such celebrated trains as the Erie Limited.

In 1962 the Erie merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad to create the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad. The railroad eventually succumbed to competition from auto, bus, truck and airplane traffic and in 1970, it suspended passenger service to Jamestown.

The building suffers from water infiltration, vandalism and general neglect of both its interior and exterior. The train station is situated directly across the street from a new, privately funded $21 million dual pad ice arena complex, which had its grand opening ceremonies in October 2002. In addition, there is a $3 million hotel complex underway in the same area. Due to the train station’s condition and proximity to this new development, there have been serious discussions of the station’s future. One idea put forward is its demolition for a parking lot.

The Downtown Jamestown Development Corporation, Fenton History Center, City of Jamestown, Chautauqua County and Chautauqua County Visitors Bureau have all come together to try to save and restore the Station. The threat of demolition can be eliminated if funding can be secured to, at a minimum, land bank the building for future development. This would protect the building from further deterioration while the local community explores options for additional funding to redevelop the station. 

The station is ideally suited to serve as a welcome center for Jamestown and offers the potential for many related uses. The Fenton History Center has expressed interest in operating a small retail shop in the entry area and housing exhibits in the passenger terminal. A seasonal farmer’s market could operate from the loading dock area and the Western New York Railway Historical Society has proposed development of tourist excursions along existing rail lines. And, the station could become a bus transfer point for the Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System (CARTS), which currently lacks an indoor hub.

When the station cornerstone was laid on November 16, 1931, the building was described as “having been designed to express the mutual confidence of the Erie Railroad and the City of Jamestown for the future of both.” History has an opportunity to repeat itself as a new generation of Jamestown leaders express their vision for the community’s future. With proper planning and adequate funding, the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad Passenger Station can become an anchor facility and public asset, complementing the exciting redevelopment underway in downtown Jamestown.

The Erie Railroad

History

The primary railroad of Jamestown has always been the east-west main line between New York and Chicago. Jamestown was linked the rest of the world on August 25, 1860 when the first train arrived from New York on the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad. The A&GW was reorganized in March 1880 as the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio (NYPANO), which was leased and later purchased by the Erie Railroad. In 1962, the Erie merged with the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western (DL&W) to form the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad which itself was merged into Conrail in 1976.

News articles from the Jamestown newspapers in 1860 describe the approach of the rails, the debate over the location of the depot, and the ceremony celebrating the completion of the line to Jamestown. A 1902 article from the Jamestown newspaper describes the early years of the A&GW in Jamestown from the point of view of early company workers.