McLeod's Hotel and Restaurant, a well-known railroad hotel, corner of Exchange Street and Wells, downtown Buffalo.
McLeod's Hotel, Exchange Street c. 1930
McLeod's Hotel and Restaurant, a well-known railroad hotel, corner of Exchange
Street and Wells, downtown Buffalo.
Mcleod's office and lobby.
Mcleod's dining room.
The Exchange Street view of McLeod's. Why would a hotel renowned for its menu
and always packed with travelers appear here
like a rooming house?
Because McLeod's was directly across the street from the New York Central Exchange
Street station. These images
were taken after the opening of the new Central Terminal in East Buffalo in
1929. The downtown businesses that depended
on overnight railroad travelers were immediately devastated. Within two years,
McLeod's closed, the Broezel Hotel at
Seneca and Wells also closed, numerous buildings were demolished on the west
side of Exchange Street, and the old
Matthews-Northup building was demolished. The Exchange Street station itself
was torn down in 1935, leaving only
platforms for the few remaining commuter trains that stopped daily.
The New York Central Exchange Street terminal was opened in 1854. It was less
designed than evolved, with
parts being added on as need for space necessitated. This scene is a busier
19th century image.
View of the station and train sheds.
The only sentiments expressed at the terminal's demise were of past historic
moments that
were obliterated with the decaying structure.
1900 map of the McLeod's and Central Terminal neighborhood. The red-shaded building
is McLeod's;
the green-shaded structure is the Exchange Street NY Central terminal. Visible
also is the
Hotel Broezel at Seneca and Wells. Not labeled
is the other building sharing
the block with McLeod's, the large square structure; it is the Heywood-Wakefield
plant,
also featured as a photo-of-the-week here.