1932 View of the Erie & Nickel Plate Produce Terminal . Image source: Railway Age magazine (private collection)
The Niagara Frontier Food Terminal at Bailey and Clinton Streets, was conceived by the Erie and Nickel Plate Railroads to address the poor service their produce cars received from the New York Central Railroad. The city's primary wholesale markets were located at the Elk Street Market, and by the 1920s when delivery trucks began getting larger, the location was congested. So when the Erie and Nickel Plate representatives approached the wholesale vendors with the idea of moving to a new terminal, the response was enthusiastic. In 1931-32, the two railroads constructed the facility seen in the above diagram, including a farmer's market across the street. Vendors followed and the facility was sold to them. |
2009 Google Earth view of the same area, showing additional construction in later years.
1932 view looking toward the 'butter and eggs" building
Excerpts from an article in Railway Age Magazine, Vol. 92 No. 20, 1932 "Co-operating with the produce interests of Buffalo, N.Y., in the handling of fresh fruits, vegetables, dairy products and poultry, the Erie and the New York, Chicago & St. Louis (Nickel Plate) have jointly developed for that city a large modern food and produce terminal which is being used by these and other roads entering Buffalo, and which brings together in one modern layout, facilities which were heretofore inadequate and widely scattered. The new terminal is located at Clinton Street and Bailey Avenue in the eastern part of the city on a 60-acre tract of land acquired for the purpose. "The terminal differs in many respects from other important produce terminals constructed in recent years in the East. It consists of essentially a six-track receiving yard, a fan-shaped layout of 16 tracks served by driveways and platforms for the delivery and inspection of produce and poultry, and a group of six two-story fireproof buildings, with storage, display, sales and office space, these including four fresh-produce buildings, a butter-and-egg building and a live-poultry building...An important auxiliary to the terminal is a large farmer's market display and sales market which has been established directly across Clinton Street, at the west end of the terminal. |
"In the operation of the terminal, practically all car movements are made late in the afternoon or at night, except the receipt of cars in the receiving yard. The railroad agent at the terminal, who is notified promptly of the arrival of all cars, informs the different consignees, and upon their orders has the cars reconsigned and forwarded to other points or set on the proper tracks at the terminal, depending upon the character of the produce and whether it is for inspection or icing, or for immediate sale and delivery... "Architectural and engineering details in connection with the terminal facilities were handled by Geo. S. Rider Company, Cleveland, Ohio, while the actual construction work, with the exception of the track work, the incinerator, and changes in the coal handling facility, were handled by John W. Cowper Company, Buffalo. The track work was done by the Erie's track forces. "Operation of the new terminal is carried on by an association of the produce merchants of Buffalo under the name of the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal, which association has taken over full ownership and control of that part of the terminal west of the yard facilities." [end excerpts] |
During the heyday of the Terminal, traffic into and out of the facilities was so congested during the peak hours early in the mornings that two policemen were on duty to keep things moving. As food distribution companies such as Flickinger and Desiderio came into prominence, they built their own facilities outside the Terminal. With the growth of supermarkets such as Loblaws, Dahany-Faxon(Acme), and Tops, with their own distribution systems, as well as the disappearance of neighborhood fruit markets in the city, fewer Terminal units were rented. Today, the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal operates out of the original five structures in the diagram above, largely selling to restaurants, caterers, fund-raising organizations, and the general public. The farmer's market across the street is still in operation. |
2009
 Jay H. Wattles, head of the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal, 2009 |
Jay H. Wattles, owner of the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal, has worked at the Terminal for 64 years. His tenure began one summer when he wanted to buy a used Snipe class sailboat, and his father, who owned a butter & egg unit at the Terminal with Jay's uncle Frank, put him to work. For 10 weeks, he labored in the basement, candling and packing eggs, relieving the regular women who were taking vacations. He made $18 a week and bought his sailboat. After service in World War II as a Navy pilot and completion of his degree from Colgate, Jay Wattles joined his father as a partner in their operation at the Terminal. He says modestly that, in 64 years, he has moved less than 30 feet, from unit 92 to unit 90. Today, Mr. Wattles owns the shares of his former colleagues who have retired or otherwise left the business. As J. H. Wattles, Inc., he also operates Willowbrook Farms, a food supply store open to the public at the Terminal. Now 86 years old, Mr. Wattles reports to work 6 days a week at his Niagara Frontier Food Terminal. His daughter Karen works there, too. Thanks to both of them for their time and generous sharing of information about this local landmark. |