Lodge Burns

Fire Destroys Main Building at Cockaigne

By Christopher Kinsler

CHERRY CREEK - The historic building that has long been the symbol for Cockaigne Ski Center is gone.

Fire gutted the Austrian World's Fair Pavilion that stood at the base of the Cherry Creek resort's slopes Monday night as fire crews from throughout the region scurried to contain the blaze.

The initial call - coming shortly before 10:30 p.m., was delivered by a Chautauqua County Highway Department plow driver who spotted flames from the road. When first responders arrived at the site, hope of saving the structure was gone.

"The building was fully engulfed when we got here," Cherry Creek Fire Chief Jim Abbey said. "At that point it became a defensive fire. Our concern now is keeping those arches from falling, and there are oxygen bottles in the first aid room."

No one was believed to be in the building and the cause of the fire is still unknown, Abbey said at the scene.

Meanwhile, three employees stood on the slope side of the building, watching in tears as embers filled the air.

"It's like watching my home burn," one said.

Crews pushed onlookers back as a precaution for possible explosions from oxygen tanks inside the building and fire trucks filled the resort's parking lot.

The fire marks the end for a building that was filled with history. The pavilion, originally constructed in Austria for $1 million, was designed for the 1964 World's Fair in New York City, where it won top awards for its innovative design. Cockaigne Inc., then purchased the building for $3,000 in 1965 from the Austrian Trade Delegation.

The pavilion was then transported in pieces from Flushing, N.Y. to Jamestown via rail and road and finally reassembled in the winter of 1966. The final piece of the building's history was Monday with firefighters from nine departments working into the early morning.

Abbey said the wind and cold weather were causing no major issues, except for one tanker freezing up.

Volunteer crews from Cherry Creek, Ellington, Kennedy, Sinclairville, Conewango, Falconer and Mayville were called to the scene with Ellington and Cherry Creek EMS on site also. At presstime, Ellery Center was on standby with a water tanker, and Rescue-71 was alerted.