Ontario County to reveal findings on Lehigh Valley Railroad Roundhouse

Findings from years of investigation by multiple agencies on the condition and potential for redevelopment of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Roundhouse will be presented Thursday in Ontario County. 

After sitting abandoned for almost 30 years, the historic Manchester yard — once one of the largest such rail support facilities in the nation — is positioned to undergo transformation. 

Findings prepared for Ontario County will be presented on Thursday, Oct. 21, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The public is invited to attend in person or online via WebEx.

Ontario County Senior Planner Maria Rudzinski said that for years the big questions surrounding the roundhouse have focused on “the contamination, condition of the building, ownership, and who is going to do something about it.”

“Now we have answers,” she said.

The 30-bay roundhouse encompasses some 62,000 square feet along with two fuel oil buildings on a 5.5-acre site in the village of Manchester. In its heyday, the Manchester yard and roundhouse, built in 1916, provided a dispatcher/control tower, fuel service, coal and ash disposal, and a maintenance center for freight cars and locomotives as well as track and signal repair. 

In operation until the 1970s, over the next 20 years the roundhouse saw a number of temporary uses.  But its legacy of environmental contamination from the diesel fueling operation and other contaminants, along with poor condition of the buildings, eventually led to its being abandoned. The two parcels have been off the tax rolls since the early 1990s. 

In recent years, as the site has come under scrutiny, discussions have centered on whether the roundhouse might eventually be a candidate for restoration, possibly a rail museum, storage for rail cars or as a focal point for a modern rail corridor system throughout Ontario County. 

The presentation Thursday will provide new information about the construction of the roundhouse, its current structural condition, and what emergency work is necessary to secure the site and stabilize the structure. Realistic options for redevelopment and how they could be phased in will also be presented, along with the next steps to move the project forward. 

The project consultant is John G. Waite Architects Associates. Throughout the project, Ontario County has received financial assistance from the town and village of Manchester, Ontario County Local Development Corporation, New York State Empire State Development, and Rochester Area Community Foundation.

More information about the Manchester Yard Site Redevelopment Project is at: https://ontariocountyny.gov/1205/Manchester-Yard-Site-Redevelopment-Proje

To attend the meeting:

WHAT: A New Beginning for the Lehigh Valley Railroad Roundhouse

WHEN: Oct. 21, 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

WHERE: Sessions Room, 218, at 74 Ontario St., Canandaigua

TO ATTEND ONLINE: Via WebEx: https://ontariocountyny.webex.com

Meeting number (access code): 2346 032 2454

Meeting password: Roundhouse