What it looked like Wednesday: Buffalo’s Greyhound Terminal, 1948

By Steve Cichon
steve@buffalostories.com
@stevebuffalo

With the ability to load and unload up to 11 buses simultaneously, Buffalo’s new Greyhound Bus Terminal opened at 664 Main Street in 1941. By 1948, it was a well-established terminus of travel to, from, and through Western New York.

Buffalo News archives

Buffalo was among the most important stops on the entire Greyhound system, according to one executive, who called Buffalo the Gateway to Canada and the major transfer point for the tens of thousands visiting Niagara Falls by bus every year.

1941 ad. Buffalo Stories archives

Among those there for the ribbon cutting was Greyhound President CE Wickman, who was greatly responsible for the growth of and manner by which modern bus travel developed.

Postcard image, Buffalo Stories archives

The terminal was a backdrop for the film “Hide in Plain Sight,” and was a Buffalo Police Substation for several years. It has been the home of the Alleyway Theatre since 1985.

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Steve Cichon

Steve Cichon writes about Buffalo’s pop culture history. His stories of Buffalo's past have appeared more than 1600 times in The Buffalo News. He's a proud Buffalonian helping the world experience the city he loves. Since the earliest days of the internet, Cichon's been creating content celebrating the people, places, and ideas that make Buffalo unique and special. The 25-year veteran of Buffalo radio and television has written five books and curates The Buffalo Stories Archives-- hundreds of thousands of books, images, and audio/visual media which tell the stories of who we are in Western New York.