As I get closer to finishing the Grain Mill and Marine Leg, my thoughts turn toward the next project for the harbor area, "The Harbor Inn:. It will be scratch built using commercial sheet and castings, which will simplify the build and time devoted to it. Although the prototype was expanded in length at one point in its history, I will be modeling the original version, which has already been "selectively compressed" In the photo below, you can clearly see where the addition to the building took place. Its a great example of a building to fit an odd triangular wedge shaped piece of real estate.
The back story:
The Harbor Inn was the center of the notorious "Saloon Boss" operations in the harbor of Buffalo In the late 1800s and first decade of the1900s. Many single men, mostly new immigrants, came looking for jobs. If you wanted a job as a "scooper" unloading Great Lakes freighters, you went to the Harbor Inn. In 1870, Patrick Kane opened a bar on this wedge-shaped plot and, in 1874, built the structure above the bar be created a boardinghouse.
Kane was part of the "saloon boss system," by which access to waterfront jobs was controlled by bar owners. He was one of the worst. "Fingy Connors" tooth that dubious honor .Both Kane and Connors allotted jobs only to men who rented their rooms, ate their food, and drank their alcohol. During the heyday of Buffalo's shipping and milling industry, places like the Harbor Inn prospered, attracting single men into their "system"
First Rule: You'd better be Irish. Otherwise there was no job.
Second Rule: You had to take a room at the Harbor Inn if you wanted the job. You ate, drank and slept there. A job as a scooper was almost like indentured servitude. Rent. meals and drinks were deducted from your pay directly by the Saloon Boss before you ever saw it. You got what little was left when the boss was done deducting your "expenses." Needless to say bosses preyed upon the scoopers.
The Buffalo scooper strike of 1899 led to breaking up that system with both federal help and the forming of Scoopers unions.
During the early fifties, the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway slowly brought the end to then need of so many scooper,as grain no longer needed to be unloaded in Buffalo for overseas destinations via transfer to railroads, or barges headed to East Coast ports. It could go directly to Europe. Grain loading in Buffalo diminished, and so did the "pit boss" era.
Around 1955, the family of my sister in law's husband, the Mulloy family, bought the property and turned it into a family restaurant, still renting the rooms to long haul truckers working out of the harbor, and any area workers. One of their sons, Jerry held guided walking tours of the historical harbor area in the late 80's. When they retired in 1995 it was sold to a local developer. He held it for several years, but never turned a profit.
Then on one Friday at 4:55, he was issued a demolition permit by the City of Buffalo. Before the Historical Society, or anyone else could protest when the office reopened the following Monday, the building was already gone. It caused a change in city permit policies, that "Friday Night Special" demolition permits were no longer allowed to be issued.
Somebody was made money on those deals. Not at all surprising in the history of Buffalo politics. It wasn't the first time, but it was the last.
To learn more about scoopers here is a link to a story by Jerry Mulloy the son of the Harbor Inn owner, who published an article about a dying trade.... Scoopers.
https://www.buffalohistorygazette.net/p/buffalo-grain-scoopers-photo-tribute.html?m=1
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What an awesome building! Looking forward to your build.
Jeff
Dave, I agree with Jeff, this is a great beginning too. I like the structure. Looks interesting.
You have a great way of explaining the backstory for this and it's unfortunate that they didn't
preserve that building. I'll take a seat in the front row, it's hard to see good if I sit behind
Bernd, he's always squirming in his seat! ;D
Rich
Dave, that's a good looking building to model.
Have fun with the build.
Quote from: Pennman on December 08, 2025, 06:22:20 AMDave, I agree with Jeff, this is a great beginning too. I like the structure. Looks interesting.
You have a great way of explaining the backstory for this and it's unfortunate that they didn't
preserve that building. I'll take a seat in the front row, it's hard to see good if I sit behind
Bernd, he's always squirming in his seat! ;D
Rich
I have to agree with Rich on the building. But when it comes to sitting in front of him and squirming around....ah, we'll just leave it at that. LOL 8)
Bernd
Knowing the walls are nothing more than red embossed plastic, what would you use on the back of side to stiffen the structure up.
I was thinking of using foam core board, or square hardwood. I would want both horizontal and vertical strength. As well as enough surface area to glue to the next wall section. I have visions of warpage after the glue dries if I use thin plywood.
You thoughts?
Fifth Dave to the right
Dave,
John Nehrich published a method decades ago that I follow.
1. Glue 0.040" styrene sheet on the back of the brick sheet. He was using a thin brick material, so if yours is not too thin, something like 0.020" styrene sheet might be better. You want some thickness for the inset of the windows.
2. Brace with wood, something like 1/4" stripwood or thereabouts. You attach the wood with Pliobond or Goo. You put glue on the stripwood, touch the stripwood where you want to stick it down, separate the wood and styrene and let most of the solvent evaporate. (Too much solvent will attack the styrene and distort it with time.) Then return the stripwood to where you want it; it will stick like crazy. I use lots of bracing.
3. The window castings go on the backs of the wall, upside down so that the sashes are correct.
I explain it here: https://www.nmra.org/beginners-guide-part-7-structures
Nice choice of structure.
Mike
Dave your off to a good start. It should be real challenge.
Jerry
Gonna be great! It is shameful what cities do to historical property.
Dave, this indeed looks like an interesting structure to model.
I would go with Mike's suggestion about using styrene as a backing & bracing it with stripwood.
Best of luck with it!
Greg
It's too bad that the building got torn down. Interesting story about the building, it's going to look great when done.
Dave I agree with everyone that's a great looking building. Neat history to. Looking forward to the build.
Mike
Thank you to all for the comments and encouragement.
Mike, thank you for the link. I need to read it again. I don't understand the point of your comment
"3.The window castings go on the backs of the wall, upside down so that the sashes are correct."
The Grandt Line castings seem to produced that they would fit into the front face of the brick sheet. So I don't understand upside down from the back.
Dave #5
Dave,
Great looking building, this will be a fun one to follow along with. Any thoughts on the light house above the front entrance on how to replicate.
Quote from: GaryMc on December 10, 2025, 10:14:41 AMDave,
Great looking building, this will be a fun one to follow along with. Any thoughts on the light house above the front entrance on how to replicate.
GaryMc,
Good question, I must have missed that detail when first viewing the prototype photo.
I know how I would. I would take a small cardboard tube and cover it with sculptamold.
and keep adding some, smoothing it along its length , fatter and one end (base), with your fingers.
Rich
Keep in mind it's about 2.5" tall at most.
I was thinking of using a drill press to taper a dowel. Chucks don't always open as wide as the part you want to make and can leave nasty crush marks of the jaws on the part.
So....to start with, I thought of using two different size dowels. In the "big" dowel, drill a pilot hole the size of the small dowel. Glue the small, inch long dowel into the hole.
Now I have a way of chucking the little dowel into the drill press without ruining the actual part, the big dowel will then be tapered to shape. At least that's the theory.
When done, just cut the small dowel off.
I don't own a lathe, so my drill press will have to suffice......unless any of you want to volunteer to play on your own lathe.
The other possibility was to steal one of my wife's knick knacks with the little lighthouses on them and pray to God she never realizes that it's gone and has been repurposed on the North Coast Railroad.
(Obituary to follow.)
Fifth Dave to the right
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Given a metal or wood lathe, or even a largish electric drill held in a vise, easy enough to taper a dowel. Comparing with the windows, I'd say maybe 4 foot diameter at the base, 3 at the top. If the building is 40 feet tall to the top of the roof overhang, the lighthouse will be maybe 16 feet tall.
Quote from: Dave Buchholz on December 09, 2025, 08:04:41 PMThank you to all for the comments and encouragement.
Mike, thank you for the link. I need to read it again. I don't understand the point of your comment
"3.The window castings go on the backs of the wall, upside down so that the sashes are correct."
The Grandt Line castings seem to produced that they would fit into the front face of the brick sheet. So I don't understand upside down from the back.
Dave #5
Dave,
I'll try to explain. Windows in masonry buildings are generally inset; there is no trim on the face of the brick or stone. By laminating the brick sheet on styrene sheet, you are both strengthening the walls and providing the wall thickness needed for recessed windows. John Nehrich found that laminating 0.04" styrene sheet to the back of Holgate and Reynolds brick sheet gave about the right thickness. That brick sheet (no longer made) was not very thick, so you might want to use a thinner styrene sheet, perhaps 0.02"to back up the brick sheet you have.
When the window and door castings are glued to the back of the walls, the trim serves to hold the windows in place. The thickness of the laminated wall means that the widow is recessed the right amount.
If you look at a double hung window, you will see that the lower sash is inside the upper sash. Turning the window castings upside down results in the correct positioning of upper and lower sash when viewed from the outside of the wall. The inside of the wall looks ridiculous but the viewer won't see that once the building is complete.
I can post photos if that would help.
Mike
Ive been laid up and slowed down this week with a Swollen leg due to a blood clot. I'm on blood thinners now.
Mike I Understand what you mean now, I never noticed the distinction of wood frame versus brick wall windows before. I was way off in the type of windows I should use. Tichy Trains seems to have a good arched masonry window I could use in stead of what I found in my junk boxes
As i gathered more photos of the prototype building, it dawned on me that it went though a few physical structural changes. Two in particular stood out, The number of windows on the side of the building were added to. And the " store front" seemed to change from Wood to Brick over the years.
Photos below show the distinctions between those mentioned elements
boarded up.jpgHarbor Inn right side.jpgHarbor_Inn_1950.jpgFront Painting.jpg