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Buffalo, NY Industrial History

ASR Group’s Buffalo, NY manufacturing plant sits in the heart of Buffalo’s industrial history. According to Steve Cichon in Buffalo Stories, New York Central first laid railroad tracks on Buffalo’s east side right along Bailey Avenue. Cichon writes, “The trees cleared from [William Bailey’s] property became the timber backbone of one of America’s fastest growing cities in the second half of the nineteenth century.” The new railroad was named The Junction Railroad, and ran from the east side, to North Main Street, and west to the International Bridge. Buffalo Rising writes in their article, “History Uncovered: Industrial Growth in Black Rock,” “After laying the Junction Railroad, the New York Central Railroad Company simplified its operations in downtown Buffalo, eliminating a station at Erie Street and linking several unconnected track lines, including the Junction Railroad, to create the Belt Line.” The railroads led to significant development as major industrial firms bought land and formed new plants alongside the tracks.

The plant, acquired by ASR Group in 2018, is located next to the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal (NFFT). The NFFT.com writes about the historic location, “Prior to 1931, before the Niagara Frontier Food Terminal was established, the Elk Street Market and the wholesale district along Michigan Street were the centers for food distribution and marketing in the prosperous Buffalo, NY.” By 1931, the food terminal had 62 tenants, including two national distributors. Over time, this space became “the second largest food terminal in New York State.” NFFT continues to write that it has diversified its tenants since the market’s inception with truck shipping distribution, freezer technology advancements, and grocery stores developing their own warehouses.