A Welcoming Sight: The Entry Plaza

The Entry Plaza is the main point of access to the Main Terminal Building. The 105,000 square-foot-space is level with the main floor of the Passenger Concourse, and bends partially around the east and west sides of the iconic Tower. It was built for the arrival and departure of passenger vehicles and for parking. You can see the ornamental stone balustrade with stone obelisks, each of which had custom-designed light fixtures. The Plaza had three concrete traffic islands that helped organize the huge space, which could hold about nearly 1150 cars of the time period. A concrete sidewalk edged with steel curbs bordered its perimeter.

Fellheimer & Wagner designed New York Central’s Art Deco marvel to draw attention, putting it at a point two stories above street level. The steel-and-concrete Entry Plaza was built 20 feet above street level, on top of a parking structure. This added height and mass to the Main Terminal Building, making it visible all around the City of Buffalo. In years to come, this meant that the other rail companies operating in Buffalo could see their rival’s shining new jewel and likely worry if the sight alone was enough to lure their passengers away.   

New York Central and architects Fellheimer & Wagner didn’t just want people to see the Central Terminal. They wanted arriving passengers to see Buffalo in all its glory. The view from this spot caused some visitors to become residents! In 1943, Daisy Estelle Anderson came from Indiana to visit her aunt here in Buffalo. Already impressed by the beauty of the Passenger Concourse, she stepped outside, saw the city at night, all shimmering with glowing lights, and fell head over heels in love with Buffalo. As for the ice cream sodas she devoured while on the Passenger Concourse -- a sweet treat she couldn’t have in racially segregated Indiana soda fountains – well, we’re certain that didn’t hurt her decision to move here! She’d go on to marry and become a teacher in Buffalo Public Schools for more than 25 years. Today, Anderson is also well known for crafting amazing quilts that were rich in texture, design, and color.

From the Entry Plaza, arriving passengers could catch a cab into Buffalo and beyond. The 195 taxicabs that serviced the Central Terminal were owned by local businessman and politician Giovanni “John” Montana, who operated the Van Dyke Taxi Company and the Yellow Cab Company.

Photo courtesy of the Niagara Frontier

Transportation Authority.