A new chapter for the DL&W train shed.

Part 1: How a landmark becomes a lynchpin.

In 2023, the DL&W Train Shed was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places. The application was led by Sam Savarino, and his firm, Savarino DL&W Development LLC, with guidance from Kerry Traynor of KTA Preservation Specialists, a local firm recognized for its technical expertise and decades of experience in preservation. Their collaborative effort brought long-overdue recognition to one of Buffalo’s most significant and stagnant pieces of infrastructure.

The National Register listing affirms the train shed’s historical importance and opens the door to federal and New York State rehabilitation tax credits. These financial tools support projects that preserve meaningful architecture while serving an economically viable project with a public purpose. The second floor’s new uses will bring the upper level back into daily life, providing entertainment options, fresh food access, and year-round public space for the community. Savarino was selected as the developer for the DL&W project by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority, which has operations on the first floor of the train shed.

The DL&W with its original Head House and Train Shed.

To be eligible for federal and state tax credits, a building must complete a two-part review by the National Park Service. Part I documents the structure’s significance; Part II evaluates the proposed work. In this case, the rehabilitation plan was approved as submitted, a rare outcome that speaks to the clarity and quality of the application and the care taken in shaping a project that preserves and reinvests in a place. Savarino retained KTA to apply to the NYS SHPO and the National Park Service. Savarino argued that the Bush Train Shed — the remaining portion of what was once the grandly appointed DL&W train terminal — merited designation as a historic structure in its own right in service of Savarino’s plan to restore the second floor of the terminal.

Founded in 1999, KTA Preservation Specialists is a Buffalo-based firm with a strong track record in cultural resource management. Led by Traynor, M.S., M.Arch., the firm brings technical expertise and a practical approach to complex preservation work across New York State. At every stage of this process, the firm’s deep understanding of both the site and the standards informed the success of the nomination. Savarino and KTA have a history of successful applications to the National Park Service.

This recognition elevates the building’s status and affirms the potential of the DL&W project as a whole while marking another step toward returning a hard-working structure to public life.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this post.