{"nrhp_refnum":"05000571","name":"Buffalo Electric Vehicle Company Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1219-1247 Main St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Buffalo","county":"Erie County","state":"NY","lat":42.90747410000006,"lon":-78.87932620399994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2005-06-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Industry","Commerce"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A five-story former automobile factory and showroom with a one-story showroom addition at 1219-1247 Main Street, Buffalo, New York, built about 1910-1911 and attributed to the Buffalo firm Wood and Bradney. The addition was completed in 1913.","why_significant":"It is argued to be significant under Criterion C as an intact example of an Early Generation Automobile Factory of concrete-encased steel and reinforced concrete, a predecessor of the \"daylight factory\". It is also significant under Criterion A for its link to Buffalo's role as an early, important center of the American automobile industry.","narrative":"Built around 1910-1911 on Main Street in Buffalo, this five-story building was designed as an automobile factory with showrooms on the ground floor. Its design is attributed to the firm Wood and Bradney. A fireproofed steel frame encased in concrete, with reinforced concrete floors and a brick exterior, allowed wide window bays that let daylight reach deep into the open loft floors. A one-story showroom addition followed in 1913, and a brick alley and stone retaining wall are included as contributing site features. The building is recognized as an intact early example of the factory type that preceded the \"daylight factory\" popularized by Albert Kahn. It also reflects Buffalo's place in the early automobile industry. The Buffalo Electric Vehicle Company, formed in 1912, made electric pleasure cars on the upper floors, and later tenants included truck makers, car dealers and a printing company. Interiors have been altered, but the main structure and the upper-floor facades remain largely intact.","period_of_significance":"ca. 1910-1955","architect_builder":"Wood and Bradney Architects of Buffalo, N.Y.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century American Movements / \"Daylight Factory\" (early generation Automobile Factory)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current function is listed as vacant; the interior has been altered into offices, a medical clinic and a post office, and the first-floor showroom fronts have been altered.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:53.559709-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/05000571.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317556","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_Electric_Vehicle_Company_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4985718"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/erie-county/buffalo-electric-vehicle-company-building-05000571/"}