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About

A Childhood Dream Realized

As a boy in the 1940s, museum co-founder, Jim Sandoro, would sneak into a neighbors' garage where a Pierce-Arrow was kept. This started a lifelong quest to learn about and collect everything related to the company and its automobiles. Later, his family moved closer to the shuttered factory, and Jim would roam the grounds searching for remnants of the great company. This passion never subsided as he grew up, and Jim and his wife, Mary Ann, spent years traveling the U.S. to expand their collection.

Together they founded The Buffalo Transportation Pierce-Arrow Museum in 1997 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization. They housed their collections in several downtown Buffalo buildings. The museum is located in a building that was once a Mack Truck showroom and repair shop. The collection represents a passion spanning more than 50 years, and includes many automobiles that were once produced in Buffalo. It is considered by car enthusiasts as one of the most unique in the world.

The Museum is here to remind the people of Buffalo—and the world—that Buffalo, NY was once an influential city of industry and producer of outstanding vehicles. The Museum’s mission is to preserve and showcase this legacy. You are invited to come along for the ride.

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Museum Expansion

The vehicles and memorabilia on display represents only a segment of the full collection. The museum will be expanding its footprint into space that will more than double!

Please support our efforts to continue to collect and preserve the region’s transportation history with a tax-deductible donation.

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Automaking in Western New York

The proud tradition of automaking in Western New York continues today. Its roots can be traced to the turn of the century, when Pierce-Arrow and Thomas Flyer gained a worldwide reputation for quality, style, and power. Over 70 vehicles were manufactured in Western New York, including early electric cars and vehicles from lesser known companies such as Automatic Transportation, Buffalo Electric, Lad’s Car (also known as Motorbob), Lippard-Stewart trucks, Motorette, Playboy, and more. Discover these and much more at the Pierce-Arrow Museum.

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Board Members

  • James T. Sandoro
  • Ange Fatta
  • Robert Gianadda
  • Frank Lucca
  • Janet Mobius
  • Herb Bellamy
  • Bob Knoer
  • Lauren Fix
  • Kelly Schultz
  • Carol Horton
  • Jeff Logsdon
  • Joe Russo
  • Bill Irr, Jr.
  • Roger Hoffman
  • Kate Ward
  • Steven Potycz
  • Jim Walas

Our Sponsors

Contact us to learn how you can support the legacy of automaking in Western New York.
716.853.0084 | piercemuseum@roadrunner.com

  • The Knoer Group
  • WGRZ Channel 2 News
  • Lauer-Manguso
  • R&P Oakhill
  • Alp Steel
  • The Battery Post
  • AAA Central & Western New York
  • The Buffalo News
  • Ashland Road Service
  • Russo’s Auto Service
  • Passport Transport
  • M&T Bank
  • The Fatta Foundation
  • Flexlume Corp.
  • Irr Supply Centers
  • The Bill & Jean Irr Family Foundation
  • Joseph Sahlen
  • Sahlen Meat Products
  • Revere Copper
  • R.B. U’Ren
  • National Grid
  • Qual Krom
  • National Fuel Gas
  • Derkovitz Enterprise
  • Moog
  • AAA Safe & Lock
  • Fox Fence
  • Buffalo Embroidery
  • Tronconi, Segarra & Associates