Lehigh Valley Railroad Station (Rochester, New York)
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Lehigh Valley Railroad Station | |
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The Rochester location of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in June 2010 | |
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| Location | 99 Court St., Rochester, New York |
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| 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 |
| 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
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
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C. 1906 panorama of Rochester, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station is in the foreground
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Rochester subway postcard. The Lehigh Valley Railroad Station's passenger platforms and freight terminal are visible
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An aerial view of Rochester Downtown in the late 1930s, the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station is on the lower right
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 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.
- 1 2 Staff (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ http://gold.mylargescale.com/Scottychaos/rochester/, a history of rochester new york railroads
- ↑ 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".
- ↑ http://www.rochestersubway.com/topics/2012/03/from-eyesore-to-opportunity-rochesters-lehigh-valley-rr-station/
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