Buffalo Smelting Works
Why it's listed
Built in 1891 at 23 Austin Street on the Niagara River in Buffalo's Black Rock neighborhood, this brick building was a copper smelting plant for the Michigan-based Calumet & Hecla Company. It consists of two joined structures, roughly two and a half stories tall, with steeply pitched metal roofs carried on steel trusses and topped with long roof monitors that provided light and ventilation. Romanesque Revival detailing includes brick pilasters, Roman and segmental arched windows, and a repeated pattern of round oculus windows. The interior is one large open space with thick brick walls suited to high-temperature smelting. The plant once formed part of a much larger complex, and its electrolytic refinery recovered more silver from the ore. Operations scaled back in 1914, and the company sold the property in 1920 to the American Radiator Company. Today the building is the only surviving piece of the works and is used as a marina, remaining a rare waterfront reminder of Buffalo's industrial past.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the building is a rare surviving example of waterfront industrial architecture in Black Rock, with a steel truss roof, roof monitors and Romanesque Revival detailing (Criterion C). It is also significant for industry (Criterion A) through its link to the successful Calumet & Hecla Company and its Buffalo copper smelting and electrolytic refining operation. It is the only surviving part of a much larger complex.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 11000738, listed October 18, 2011. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 23 Austin St., Buffalo |
|---|---|
| County | Erie County |
| Listed | October 18, 2011 |
| Reference number | 11000738 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c. 1891-1920 |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian / Romanesque Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Industry |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now used as a marina; many windows are damaged or filled, and five noncontributing late-twentieth-century one-story buildings stand on the parcel. |
| Acreage | 9.6 |
| Coordinates | 42.93811, -78.90579 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 11000738.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4985845
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.