LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 100th Anniversary of Union
Station in Utica, New York, to be celebrated on May 31, 2014

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to call attention to
those historic sites within the State of New York which serve as lasting
reminders of our rich and unique past; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the
100th Anniversary of the magnificent Union Station, to be celebrated at
a "Steam Engine Dance" Gala Ball at Union Station in Utica, New York, on
Saturday, May 31, 2014; and
WHEREAS, On May 24, 1914, the historic Utica station opened in down-
town Utica on the flats south of the Mohawk River, beginning its service
as a stop on the New York Central Railroad; and
WHEREAS, The newly built facility became a Union station in 1915, when
the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad and the New York, Ontario &
Western Railroad moved their services to its riverside terminal; and
WHEREAS, Union Station was constructed in the classically-inspired
Beaux Arts style by architects Allen H. Stem and Alfred Fellheimer of
New York City, who brought to the project experience from building such
other notable stations as New York City's Grand Central Terminal; and
WHEREAS, Union Station's beautiful architecture and spacious facili-
ties served the people of Utica well during the city's rise as an indus-
trial and commercial center; three stories high, with a 35 foot tall
barrel-vaulted ceiling, 28 bays, and large clock over its entrance, the
building was a fitting centerpiece of life in its community; and
WHEREAS, In the 1970s, the historic Utica landmark was very nearly
lost due to neglect and urban renewal, until being rescued by the deter-
mined efforts of the fledgling Landmarks Society of Greater Utica; and
WHEREAS, Established in 1974, as a not-for-profit historic preserva-
tion and educational all-volunteer organization, the Landmarks Society
has been the leading voice for historic preservation in the Greater
Utica area for the past forty years; the preservation of Union Station
was the Society's first major conservation effort and one of the larg-
est, most important historic preservation acts in its forty-year histo-
ry; and
WHEREAS, Today, Union Station is known as The Boehlert Center at Union
Station, and is owned and lovingly cared for by the County of Oneida;
and
WHEREAS, One of only a handful of stations in New York State that has
remained an active train station throughout its lifespan, The Boehlert
Center at Union Station serves as a multi-modal transportation center
and is a true "union station" used by both Amtrak and the Adirondack
Scenic Railroad; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is pleased to have this opportunity to
express its highest admiration for Utica's Union Station, and for all of
the individuals who have worked to bring proper attention to a place and
time which merits recognition in the grand panorama of the history of
our State and Nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the magnificent Union Station in
Utica, New York; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Boehlert Center at Union Station.