Carya

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.

History

The station was constructed in 1931–32 for the Erie Railroad as a replacement for a much older station.^[5] 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.^[6] 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.^[7] 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.^[8] The Jamestown station and surrounding area is now part of the National Comedy Center, which was opened in 2018.

Services

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.^[9]

Gallery

1909 postcard of older Erie Station Building.
Jamestown Gateway Station interior
Jamestown Gateway Station interior
Jamestown Gateway Station hallway
Jamestown Gateway station front prior to the 2011 renovation

References

^ "List of Station Names and Numbers". Baggage Department. Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved July 7, 2012.
^ "Erie Railroad of Days Long Gone By Recalled by Old Photograph". Jamestown Evening Journal. July 26, 1939. p. 10. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
^ "New Erie Rail Station Opened at Jamestown". Democrat and Chronicle. June 8, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved September 24, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
^ Claire L. Ross (September 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Erie Railroad Station". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved June 14, 2009. See also: "Accompanying seven photos".
^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ Tabor, Brian (October 26, 2012). "Railroad station restored in Jamestown". WIVB-TV. Buffalo, New York. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
^ "25-Year Development Odyssey: The National Comedy Center Finds a Home in Jamestown's Historic Train Station". WRFA-LP 107.9 FM. 2018-06-09. Retrieved 2020-11-12.
^ Jamestown, NY - Bus Stop (JMN); Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach

External links

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

[codes-1] "List of Station Names and Numbers". Baggage Department. Jersey City, New Jersey: Erie Railroad. May 1, 1916. Retrieved July 7, 2012.

[jamestown2-2] "Erie Railroad of Days Long Gone By Recalled by Old Photograph". Jamestown Evening Journal. July 26, 1939. p. 10. Retrieved June 5, 2017.

[1932opening-3] "New Erie Rail Station Opened at Jamestown". Democrat and Chronicle. June 8, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved September 24, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.

[nris_2010a-4] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.

[nrhpinv_ny-5] Claire L. Ross (September 2002). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Erie Railroad Station". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved June 14, 2009. See also: "Accompanying seven photos".

[nris_2009a-6] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[restoration-7] Tabor, Brian (October 26, 2012). "Railroad station restored in Jamestown". WIVB-TV. Buffalo, New York. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.

[8] "25-Year Development Odyssey: The National Comedy Center Finds a Home in Jamestown's Historic Train Station". WRFA-LP 107.9 FM. 2018-06-09. Retrieved 2020-11-12.

[9] Jamestown, NY - Bus Stop (JMN); Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in New York
Topics	Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types
Lists by county	Albany Allegany Bronx Broome Cattaraugus Cayuga Chautauqua Chemung Chenango Clinton Columbia Cortland Delaware Dutchess Erie Essex Franklin Fulton Genesee Greene Hamilton Herkimer Jefferson Kings (Brooklyn) Lewis Livingston Madison Monroe Montgomery Nassau New York (Manhattan) Niagara Oneida Onondaga Ontario Orange Orleans Oswego Otsego Putnam Queens Rensselaer Richmond (Staten Island) Rockland Saratoga Schenectady Schoharie Schuyler Seneca St. Lawrence Steuben Suffolk Sullivan Tioga Tompkins Ulster Warren Washington Wayne Westchester Northern Southern Wyoming Yates
Lists by city	Albany Buffalo New Rochelle New York City Bronx Brooklyn Queens Staten Island Manhattan Below 14th St. 14th–59th St. 59th–110th St. Above 110th St. Minor islands Niagara Falls Peekskill Poughkeepsie Rhinebeck Rochester Syracuse Yonkers
Other lists	Bridges and tunnels National Historic Landmarks
Category List National Register of Historic Places Portal

City of Jamestown, New York
National interest	Chautauqua Institution Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center National Comedy Center Robert H. Jackson Center The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural History
Parks and recreation	Allegany State Park Allegheny Reservoir Chadakoin River Chautauqua Lake Lake Erie Lake Erie State Park Long Point State Park on Lake Chautauqua Midway State Park
Cultural	Gov. Reuben Fenton Mansion Jamestown Gateway Train Station Jamestown Downtown Historic District Kinzua Bridge Kinzua Dam McClurg Museum Lincoln-Bedell Statue Park Statue of Lucille Ball
Performance venues	Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall Lucille Ball Little Theatre Northwest Arena Reg Lenna Center for the Arts Russell Diethrick Park
Food and drink	Ellicottville Brewing Company Southern Tier Brewing Company Johnny's Lunch
Winter sports	Holiday Valley Peek'n Peak
National Register of Historic Places listings in the Jamestown, New York Area