Rich
Products Corporation - Table of Contents
....................... Niagara Street Industrial
Heritage
Rich Products
Corporation
1150 Niagara St./One Robert Rich Way, Buffalo,
NY
Rich Products - Official Website
2017 Color Photos
| Reprint Rich Products Corporation Buffalo: Lake City in Niagara Land By Richard C. Brown and Bob Watson USA: Windsor Publications, 1981, p. 311    |
 Wells House/First Rich Products Office Building, 1155 Niagara Street ... Robert Rich's office was on the second floor |
1150 Niagara Street 1150 Niagara Street ... 1980 construction ... Peter G. Castle, architect ... Note at right the elevated bridge that crosses Robert Rich Way (formerly Breckenridge St.) and connects to One Robert Rich Way ... Details below heading north:  Detail #1  Detail #2  Detail #3  Detail #4  Detail #5  Detail #6  Detail #7 Top: The Rich Products elevated bridge crosses Robert Rich Way (formerly West Ferry St.). The street continues under the Interstate 190 expressway and the Belt Line Railroad and leads to the Ferry Street Lift Bridge and Broderick Park  Detail #8 ... Foreground:
Robert Rich Way CSX Transportation
Bridge ...
Pony plate girder bridge over Robert Rich Way on CSXTRR: built 1901 by the American Bridge Co. (See Bridgehunter.com Plate girder bridge: "A plate girder bridge is a bridge supported by two or more plate girders. In a plate girder bridge, the plate girders are typically I-beams made up from separate structural steel plates, which are welded or, in older bridges, bolted or riveted together to form the vertical web and horizontal flanges of the beam. " - Wikipedia (online October 2017) Background: Ferry Street Lift (Bascule) Bridge leading to Broderick Park online Octoiber 2017) ... |
 The elevated bridge connects to One Robert Rich Way, including the Atrium @ Rich's  One Robert Rich Way, including the Atrium @ Rich's  Staircase at left of entrance  "Newspaper Reader," by J. Seward Johnson Jr, to the right of the entrance was once located on Niagara Street  5 details below:  Detail #1  Detail #2  Detail #3 - Tuesday, November 10, 1958 Courier Express. Cf., Public Art in Buffalo  Detail #4  Detail #5 |
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I still remember the first time that my mom pointed out artist J. Seward Johnson Jr’s sculpture on Niagara Street (at Rich Products). It was one of the first times in my life that I remember thinking that art was cool. I wanted to get out of the car and examine the piece. Ever since I was young this realistic sculpture has captured my attention. As we passed by on Sunday I recognized my friend Jack sitting next to the sculpture. Jack had helped to keep Elmwood clean a dozen years ago when we were busy organizing some micro music festivals. “There’s print in the newspaper,” Jack said. “Look, you can see actual articles printed on Tuesday, November 10th, 1958.” So I looked, and sure enough there were a series of articles pertaining to Rich Products sculpted into the ‘paper’. When we examined the other side of the paper, we realized that it was from an actual edition of the Courier Express (complete with etched photos). A few of the more interesting headlines read, “Defects Plague Geary Apartments”, “Philharmonic Board Asks To Trim Season”, and “Cowboys Give Bills The Boot”. It was amazing to see how much detail went into this incredible sculpture. “They stole the first one,” Jack continued. “I grew up in this neighborhood and remember when it was stolen.” Hmmm, I had never heard that this sculpture had been stolen and replaced with a new one. Jack swears that he remembers when it happened. Anyone else out there recall the incident? Regardless, the fact that Niagara Street is lucky enough to have such an awesome work of art from a well-known artist is wonderful. He’s got a pipe in his pocket and a real cigarette butt in his mouth. Hundreds of people have had their photo taken with this silent celebrity and hopefully he’ll be around to see many, many more years of inquisitive passersby. |