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Photograph of Old Post Office
Photograph by Pubdog at English Wikipedia, Public domain. Via Wikimedia Commons.

U.S. Post Office

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. 11 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1894.

From the record

“Post Office, is a historic post office building located at 121 Ellicott Street in Buffalo in Erie County, New York within the Joseph Ellicott Historic District. It is currently home to the City Campus of SUNY Erie.”

Wikipedia article Old Post Office (Buffalo, New York), CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 283 National Register listings published here for Erie County · listed in 1972 · category: Building.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

  • What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
  • Address. 121 Ellicott St., Buffalo, 14203
  • When was it listed? March 1972
  • Category. building
  • City. Buffalo city
  • National Register reference number. 72000839 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Then and now

1894 to 1960

The ground this property stands on, surveyed 66 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet covering U.S. Post Office, surveyed 1960
Topographic sheet covering U.S. Post Office, surveyed 1894

Fires near this property

759 since 2000

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 759 fires within 5 miles of U.S. Post Office between 2000 and 2020, burning about 261 acres in total. 115 started naturally. 110 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined447
Natural115
Arson/incendiarism110
Smoking42
Equipment and vehicle use15
Debris and open burning14
Misuse of fire by a minor9
Recreation and ceremony4
Power generation/transmission/distribution2
Railroad operations and maintenance1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2012Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
8 September 2019Naturalunder an acreFire Department of New YorkN/A
7 September 2007Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
7 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
5 September 2011Arson/incendiarismunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
5 September 2008Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
5 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named
3 September 2003Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreFire Department of New Yorknot named

Every fire recorded in Erie County

Mines and quarries near this property

6 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 6 workings within 5 miles of U.S. Post Office: 4 unknowns, 1 past producer, 1 plant. 1 still produces. What was taken out: Iron, Stone, Crushed/Broken, Gold, Perlite. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Buffalo Perlite PlantPerlitePlant
Eastern Limestone OperationStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Williams Gold Refin./ Buffalo, N.Y.GoldUnknown
Bethlehem Steel/ Lackawana, N.Y.IronUnknown
Hanna Furnace Corp/ Buffalo, N.Y.IronUnknown
Republic Steel/ Buffalo, N.Y.IronUnknown

Every working recorded in Erie County

Storms near this property

60 of 65 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Buffalo, the town this property stands in, in 65 storm reports between 1993 and 2024: 30 thunderstorm wind, 18 flash flood, 10 hail, 2 flood. The reports record 12 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 1999Thunderstorm WindBuffalo12 hurt, $50,000no account filed
November 2014FloodBuffalo$500,000no account filed
January 2008Flash FloodBuffalo$500,000no account filed
November 2015Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$200,000Damage was estimated at $200,000.
January 1996Flash FloodBuffalo$200,000no account filed
August 2020Flash FloodBuffalo$100,000Hertel Avenue near Homer Avenue was reported to have one foot of water on it with video indicating so on Snapchat, as well.
April 2004Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$100,000no account filed
September 2012Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$75,000Downburst winds damaged three buildings.
August 1999Flash FloodBuffalo$75,000no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$50,000Several massive 100 year old trees were downed onto Horton Place and damaged several vehicles.
June 2008HailBuffalo$50,000no account filed
December 2000SeicheBuffalo$50,000no account filed
June 1998HailBuffalo$50,000no account filed
June 1995Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$50,000no account filed
August 1993Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$50,000no account filed
August 2017Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$35,000Thunderstorm winds tore part off of a roof building in Buffalo.
May 1998Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$30,000no account filed
February 2001Flash FloodBuffalo$25,000no account filed
June 2015Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$20,000A large tree fell on a house at Bennett Village Terrace.
September 2012Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$20,000Town emergency services reported twenty to thirty trees down in Cheektowaga Town Park.
September 2009Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$20,000no account filed
May 2004LightningBuffalo$20,000no account filed
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$15,000A large tree fell onto a car on Elmwood Avenue.
August 2014Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$15,000no account filed
August 2011Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$15,000no account filed
August 2009Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$15,000no account filed
September 2008Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$15,000no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$15,000no account filed
July 1999Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$15,000no account filed
June 1998HailBuffalo$15,000no account filed
February 1996Flash FloodBuffalo$15,000no account filed
January 2012Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$12,000Law enforcement reported trees and power lines down.
August 2020Flash FloodBuffalo$10,000Walden Avenue and Sycamore Street was closed due to flash flooding.
August 2020Flash FloodBuffalo$10,000Elmwood Avenue and Ferry Street was closed due to flash flooding.
August 2020Flash FloodBuffalo$10,000A swift water rescue of two people from a car took place on Sycamore Street.
June 2020Flash FloodBuffalo$10,000Sycamore Street and Walden Avenue flooded with four people trapped in a car.
August 2017Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$10,000The Fire Department reported trees down at Oconnell and Alabama Streets.
August 2012Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$10,000Law enforcement reported trees and wires down.
May 1995HailBuffalo$10,000,,,,,,,,Thunderstorm Winds
August 2015Flash FloodBuffalo$10,000no account filed
January 1999Flash FloodBuffalo$10,000no account filed
February 1997Flash FloodBuffalo$8,000no account filed
June 2018Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$5,000Tree on car near Prospect and Virginia Avenue in Buffalo.
September 2007Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$5,000no account filed
October 2017Tornado (EF0)Buffalo$3,500A waterspout over Buffalo Harbor moved onshore. The tornado moved across the Coast Guard Base in Buffalo. Several automobile windows were broken by flying debris. A portion of a fence was blown off. The dislocated fence damaged a nearby vehicle. One person outdoors at the time was blown off his feet.
February 1997Flash FloodBuffalo$3,000no account filed
April 2023Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$2,000Trees and wires were downed in the City of Buffalo on Newburgh Ave.
August 2020Flash FloodBuffalo$2,000Delavan Street was reported flooded with flowing water at Harvard Street.
August 2019Flash FloodBuffalo$2,000The ramp from 190 north to 198 east was closed due to flooding.
April 2023Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$1,000Trees downed in City of Buffalo on East Parade Ave.
August 2022Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$1,000Trees were reported down.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$1,000A large tree was downed onto Clinton Street.
July 2024Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$500Large tree downed at intersection of West Avenue and Bird Avenue.
June 2023Thunderstorm WindBuffalo$500A large tree branch was snapped off.
August 2024Tornado (EF1)Buffalo-National Weather Service storm survey confirms that a tornado touched down in the city of Buffalo near Niagara Street and Carolina Street.
September 2021Flash FloodBuffalo-Water was flowing over several streets with a depth up to the bottom of the car doors in some spots.
August 2020Heavy RainBuffalo-Rainfall of 2.12 inches was reported.
June 2020HailBuffalo-One inch hail was reported in Elmwood Village.
June 2020Flash FloodBuffalo-The ramp from I-190 south to Route 198 east was closed due to flooding.
August 2019FloodBuffalo-Flood water was reported to persist from overnight storms into the morning rush hour in much of north Buffalo and the Northtowns.

Every storm recorded in Erie County

Maps showing this location

11 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph PropertyDistance Listed
Commercial Buildings at 136-142 SENECA STREET0.1 miles2025
Sibley and Holmwood Candy Factory and Witkop and Holmes Headquarters0.1 miles2014
Buffalo Envelope Company Building0.2 miles2026
St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral0.2 miles1973
Prudential Building0.2 miles1973
Durham Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church0.2 miles1983

Sources for this property

National Archives recordThe nomination case file for reference 72000839 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia articleCommunity-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Erie CountyAll 283 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

  • Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
  • Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
  • How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
  • Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
  • Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
  • Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.