Lehigh Valley Railroad Station (Rochester, New York)

Lehigh Valley Railroad Station
The Rochester location of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in June 2010
Location 99 Court St., Rochester, New York
Coordinates 43°9′12″N 77°36′29″W / 43.15333°N 77.60806°WCoordinates: 43°9′12″N 77°36′29″W / 43.15333°N 77.60806°W
Area less than one acre
Built 1905
Architect Hyde, F.D.[1]
Architectural style Late 19th And 20th Century Revivals, Gothic, French Renaissance
Governing body Private
MPS Inner Loop MRA
NRHP Reference # 85002858[2]
Added to NRHP October 04, 1985

Lehigh Valley Railroad Station is a historic railway station located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. The Lehigh Valley Railroad built the station in 1905 but stopped using the station for passenger service in the 1950s. Later the station was used as a bus terminal and then as a night club. In the 1980s the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places and today it houses the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que restaurant.[1]

History

The station shortly after completion of its construction in 1905

Around the turn of the 20th century, the Lehigh Valley Railroad was the last of several railroads to bring passenger service to Rochester.[1] The first passenger terminal was a small wooden depot constructed a few blocks to the south of the later station, near where I-490 passes today.[1]

The new station was built in 1905, consisting of a passenger station and freight terminal. They are dramatically sited above the Johnson-Seymour mill race and Genesee River and was located across the river from the Erie Railroad's depot. The passenger station is a brick, hip-roofed, 1 1⁄2-story structure with French Renaissance overtones, including "two-toned walls, copper gutters and flashing and a red tiled roof."[1] The freight terminal is a 1-story brick structure. Passenger service ended in 1950.[3][4]

Post-train station years

Briefly, the station served as a bus depot, but it was abandoned completely in 1954.[1] The buildings became widely known as an eyesore in Rochester, and a refurbishment attempt in the 1970s failed.[1] Local developer Max Farash bought the buildings in 1982 (for one dollar), and a two-year restoration process ensued.[5] In 1985, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2]

After a few years in the 1990s as a nightclub called Carpe Diem, the buildings now house Dinosaur Bar-B-Que.[1]

Gallery

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Finn, Michelle (October 1, 2012). "Remodeled depot has a rich history". Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York). Gannett Company. pp. 3B,4B. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13.
  3. ↑ http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/rochester/, a history of rochester new york railroads
  4. ↑ Ted Bartlett (August 1985). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Lehigh Valley Railroad Station". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2009-11-01. See also: "Accompanying three photos".
  5. ↑ http://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/2012/03/from-eyesore-to-opportunity-rochesters-lehigh-valley-rr-station/