National Register of Historic Places

Erie Railroad Station

Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York
Listed
May 1, 2003
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
03000045

About this property

Jamestown station is a historic train station located at Jamestown in Chautauqua County, New York. Although no longer an active railroad station due to a lack of passenger service in the area, after a restoration done in 2011 the building currently serves as a bus transportation center and community space for Jamestown. The first train arrived at Jamestown on August 25, 1860 as part of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad. The station is part of the National Comedy Center. The station was constructed in 1931–32 for the Erie Railroad as a replacement for a much older station. It passed on to successor Erie Lackawanna Railroad in 1960 and continued to serve as a station for the railroad's long distance trains operating between Hoboken and Chicago. The last trains to use the station were the Atlantic Express/Pacific Express (discontinued, 1965) and the Lake Cities (discontinued, January 1970). On April 1, 1976 Erie Lackawanna became part of the Conrail system, which was taken over in turn by CSX Transportation and the Norfolk Southern Railway on June 1, 1999. Local railroad offices continued to occupy the building. The station passed to private ownership and was slowly stripped of salvageable materials. In 1992, the Jamestown Urban Renewal Agency took ownership of the station with $120,000 in funding from the federal Community Development Block Grant program. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 as the Erie Railroad Station. Senator Charles Schumer announced grant monies to help restore the station as a commercial and transit hub on August 23, 2010. Upon completion of the $12 million (2012 USD) restoration, the restored station was opened to the public on October 26, 2012. At this point the station was re-named the Jamestown Gateway Station. In 2017, the National Comedy Center took over ownership of the station from the city and its associated agencies. The Jamestown station and surrounding area is now part of the National Comedy Center, which was opened in 2018. The Chautauqua Area Regional Transit System (CARTS) and Coach USA use the facility. The station provides no Amtrak or commuter rail service. However, it is a stop for Amtrak Thruway buses at a Chautauqua Area Regional Transportation Service bus shelter at 217 West 2nd Street, connecting to Buffalo's Exchange Street Station. List of Erie Railroad structures documented by the Historic American Engineering Record Media related to Jamestown Gateway Train Station at Wikimedia Commons Erie Railroad Station - Jamestown, New York - Train Stations/Depots on Waymarking.com Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. NY-59, "Erie Railway, Jamestown Station, East Second & Lafayette Streets, Jamestown, Chautauqua County, NY", 2 photos, 1 data page, 1 photo caption page

Location

211-217 W. Second St.
Jamestown, Chautauqua County, New York
42.09451, -79.24460

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Wellman Building, The
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0.2 mi
Fenton, Gov. Reuben, Mansion
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0.4 mi
Partridge-Sheldon House
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0.5 mi
Jamestown Armory
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0.5 mi
Empire Worsted Mills
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0.7 mi

Questions about this property

When was Erie Railroad Station listed on the National Register?

Erie Railroad Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 1, 2003.

What type of historic resource is Erie Railroad Station?

Erie Railroad Station is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Erie Railroad Station?

The period of significance for Erie Railroad Station is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Erie Railroad Station?

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