Tri-Main Center - Table of Contents  ...  ......     .........Albert Kahn in Buffalo............................. Ford in Buffalo

History - Tri-Main Center
2495 Main Street, Buffalo NY
Tri-Main - Official Website (online August 2020)

In 1915, famous architect Albert Kahn designed Henry Ford’s plant at 2495 Main Street. Over 600,000 of the 15 million Ford Model Ts were produced here by 1927.   The plant then continued producing Ford Model As until August 1931, when Ford decided to sell the Main Street facility, and all activities were transferred to the Fuhrman Boulevard plant.

The building was leased to various tenants, including Hercules Motors, to make diesel engines for the Navy and Bell Aircraft Corporation. On September 5, 1941, Bell Aircraft received a request to design and construct America’s first jet engine warplane. The aircraft was built in the utmost secrecy on the upper floor of the building and became known as a “black project.”

Trico Products Company, founded by John R. Oishei of Buffalo, was the world’s largest maker of windshield wipers. Trico purchased the building after WWII and 2495 Main Street was known as Trico #Plant 2. During this time period, the building expansion increased the size to today’s 650,000 square feet. At one time, Trico was the largest employer in the city of Buffalo.

Tri-Main Center became Buffalo’s first large-scale rehabilitation of a vacant industrial complex. Twenty-seven years later, it is a vibrant mixed-use business center with over 100 companies and growing. Tri-Main Center has been at the forefront of the city’s resurgence and is cultivating the creative community in Buffalo.