Next stop… Buffalo

BAC helps renovate historic Amtrak station in the heart of Nickel City

The Buffalo Amtrak station is located on a stop along the Niagara branch of the Empire Corridor that strategically links Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Toronto. The station, long criticized as “too small and shabby” for a structure befitting a city of Buffalo's size and stature, was designed to replace the existing structure built in 1952. Buffalo is the last major upstate New York municipality in 20-plus years to get a new train station, following Niagara Falls, Rochester, Syracuse and Schenectady.

Located on the same site and two times larger than the original, the 4,900-square-foot, three-story Buffalo Exchange Street Station features an expanded seating capacity for 40 people, putting it in compliance with American with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations. The $27.7 million station also includes a high-level platform for easier loading/unloading, convenient pedestrian access to Washington Street and Main Street, a baggage check-in area, restrooms and an Amtrak administrative office.

At the heart of the structure is its Buffalo-focused décor, which inspires references to the Buffalo Central Terminal, including a terrazzo floor with an image of a buffalo in the middle, an exterior clock and some art deco elements. Longtime BAC Local 3 New York signatory contractor, Manning Squires Hennig, worked with Union subsidiary contractor, Scurfari Construction, to help self-perform the station’s detailed and complex masonry work.

For more than 20 weeks, a crew of four BAC Local 3 NY employees led by John McCulley also worked on the exterior and interior brick and precast elements, including 4,000 pieces of brick and 300 pieces of precast architectural concrete. Working around pandemic-related budget and scheduling constraints, McCulley’s crew also had to navigate a temporary station housed in a prefab building. The structure resembled a train-station-in-a-box, featuring a 25-seat waiting room, striped platform, and covered and uncovered outside seating.

 “The crew did a phenomenal job on this project,” says Matt Squires, CEO of Manning Squires Hennig. “While the quality speaks for itself, it is worth noting they beat productivity and scheduled targets–quite the feat on such a detail-oriented project. The masonry has been the most complimented portion of the work.”

Also assisting on the project was BAC Local 3 NY signatory contractor Tiede-Zoeller Tile Corp., which installed the station’s ceramic tile and epoxy terrazzo flooring. Supervised by foremen John Ladd on tile installation, and Marino Casali on terrazzo installation, the teams worked nearly 800 hours on the project.

The installation featured 2,500 square feet of flooring and wall tile, and 1,840 square feet of terrazzo. The four different terrazzo floor colors and patterns were designed after the cement terrazzo floors in the original Buffalo Central Terminal. “It is always a pleasure to work on projects that improve and revitalize our hometown of the City of Buffalo,” says Tiede-Zoeller President Kent Randle. “We are proud to put our name to the hard surface portion of this project and proud of the work by our tile and terrazzo crew.”

Working from September 22 through October 27, 2020, BAC had as many as 12 members on the project working 10-hour days, including Saturdays. The tradesmen were led by foreman Rick Nice, who handled the installation phase, and Joe Maccalupo, who oversaw the mobilization/layout phase. Overall, approximately 4,000 work hours were spent on the project.

Michael DeSpirt Jr., Project Manager of DeSpirt Mosaic & Marble Co., says that the job featured approximately 3,500 linear feet of saw cutting to accept the 4-inch-thick concrete pavers—a feat that presented quite a challenge. “We furnished and installed 17,500 square feet of 24-inch x 8-inch x 4-inch, New York State DOT approved concrete pavers in a three-color pattern. On any given day, there were four to five tradesmen cutting for the entire day, which included multiple angle and radius cuts. Working under the phalanx of DOT inspectors all day—and keeping them happy—was an achievement in itself.”

Rick Williamson, President of BAC Local 3 NY, says the Buffalo Exchange Street Station speaks to the commitment and passion BAC Members put into every job. “As is usually the case in a job of this magnitude, multiple delays on the project caused us to start several weeks later than originally scheduled,” Williamson says. “Despite this, we finished on time to everyone’s complete satisfaction. It was quite an achievement on the part of our tradesmen. We can thank Rick (Nice), Joe (Maccalupo) and all participating BAC members for this.”