Archives: Blog

2025 Preservation Award Winner: Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica

We are excited to celebrate the people behind this year’s most inspiring preservation projects at the 2025 Preservation Awards. Join us on Thursday, May 29, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM  at The Caz (2221 Seneca Street) to celebrate the region’s most impactful preservation projects at Preservation Buffalo Niagara’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Please note: The Caz will stay open until 8:30 PM for the Afterparty! Enjoy great company and live music for an extra hour — Thank you, Jake!!

For more information on the Preservation Awards, please click here.
To purchase tickets for the Preservation Awards, please click here.

Honoring Sacred Heritage: Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica

For over a century, the Our Lady of Victory (OLV) National Shrine and Basilica has stood as a beacon of faith, hope, and service in Lackawanna, New York. Known for its stunning architecture and spiritual significance, the Basilica is a lasting testament to the vision of Father Nelson Baker, whose legacy of compassion and community building continues to inspire generations.

In 2021, OLV embarked on a significant journey to preserve not just a building, but an entire legacy. Working with KTA Preservation Specialists, OLV sought to list the Our Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church Complex on the National Register of Historic Places – a process that spanned nearly three years and culminated in a well-deserved recognition in 2024.

Rather than simply nominating the iconic Basilica alone, the nomination embraced the full scope of Father Baker’s impact, proposing a historic district that includes 13 buildings across several blocks. This broader vision captured the architectural, cultural, and community significance of the entire OLV campus, including structures like the former orphanage at 780 Ridge Road (now home to OLV Charities), the Knights of Columbus Father Baker Council, the St. Gianna Molla Center, and several other key buildings that reflect the enduring spirit of service and outreach.

For their visionary efforts to preserve this sacred site and the enduring legacy of Father Baker, we are proud to honor Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica with the 2025 Preservation Award for Sacred Site.

Congratulations to the entire OLV community for this extraordinary achievement.

Fun Fact: Annie Schentag of KTA, who played a critical role in the OLV National Register of Historic Places nomination process, is one of our board members at Preservation Buffalo Niagara! OLV continues to raise funds to preserve this remarkable site – help the cause by visiting their events: OLV Basilica Events.

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2025 Preservation Award Winner: The Edward M. Cotter

We are excited to celebrate the people behind this year’s most inspiring preservation projects at the 2025 Preservation Awards. Join us on Thursday, May 29, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM  at The Caz (2221 Seneca Street) to celebrate the region’s most impactful preservation projects at Preservation Buffalo Niagara’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Please note: The Caz will stay open until 8:30 PM for the Afterparty! Enjoy great company and live music for an extra hour — Thank you, Jake!!

For more information on the Preservation Awards, please click here.
To purchase tickets for the Preservation Awards, please click here.

Honoring a Maritime Icon: The Edward M. Cotter Fireboat

As the world’s oldest active fireboat, the Edward M. Cotter is more than just a vessel – it’s a living piece of Buffalo’s rich maritime and industrial history. Built in 1900, the Cotter has faithfully served the Buffalo Fire Department for an incredible 125 years, protecting the waterfront and keeping the city’s harbor safe through generations of change.

But preserving a century-old fireboat is no small feat. Over the past eight years, the dedicated volunteers and supporters behind the “Keep the Boat Afloat” campaign have worked tirelessly to maintain this historic vessel, ensuring that it remains not just a symbol of the past but an active, working part of Buffalo’s present.

Thanks to their efforts, the Cotter’s 72-year-old engines have been carefully repaired, countless parts have been replaced, and the iconic red and white paint that defines this storied vessel has been meticulously maintained. Their work also helped secure a critical state grant, which funded the replacement of both shafts and propellers and the relining of the forward hull.

For their unwavering dedication to preserving one of Buffalo’s most unique and cherished landmarks, we are proud to honor Edward M. Cotter with the 2025 Preservation Award for Neighborhood Preservation Organization.

Congratulations to all those who have helped keep the Cotter afloat!

Cotterfest is Back – Celebrating 125 Years of Fireboat History

Join the Cotter Crew as they mark the 125th anniversary of the world’s oldest working fireboat, the Edward M. Cotter. This event supports the ongoing preservation of this National Historic Landmark! For more information, please visit: COTTERFEST | E.M.C. Conservancy

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The Delaine Waring AME Church is a Local Landmark!

The historic DeLaine-Waring African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a cornerstone of Buffalo’s Hydraulics neighborhood for over 150 years, has been granted Local Landmark status for its architectural significance and contributions to civil rights history.

Built in 1869 as St. Matthew’s Church by German immigrants, it’s the oldest surviving church in Buffalo’s Hydraulics neighborhood. The DeLaine-Waring AME Church was designed in the Romanesque Revival architecture style, featuring vaulted red brick construction, a prominent southeast tower, and stained-glass windows. The Church became home to an African Methodist Episcopal congregation in 1961 under the leadership of Rev. Joseph DeLaine Sr. His fight against segregation played a key role in the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision, helping to dismantle “separate but equal” policies in the U.S.

Let’s talk about WHY this matters. What’s so special is that now that the local landmark is approved, the church qualifies as historic and can apply for sacred sites funding for repairs and maintenance.

We owe a big round of thank you’s for this one because it takes a village! Thank you to all the wonderful people at the church for gathering letters of support. Thank you to over 25 people who signed our letter of support! Thank you to our donors for our Save Our Sacred Sites initiative, so we can keep the local landmarking efforts going. Thank you to the Zemsky family for lending their support to get this adopted. Last but not least, thank you to the Buffalo Common Council and Buffalo Preservation Board for saying yes!

Didn’t we say it takes a village? ❤️

Funding Available For Niagara Falls: Vacant Rental Improvement Program

Revitalizing Niagara Falls: New Funding Program to Renovate Vacant Apartments

Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) is launching an exciting new initiative to breathe life into vacant rental properties in Niagara Falls, NY. Funded by New York State and administered by the Office of Community Renewal (OCR), The Vacant Rental Improvement Program (VRP) offers financial assistance of up to $75,000 to property owners who want to renovate empty apartments. The program aims to help owners of rental properties bring vacant units and spaces in small-scale properties back into productive use to create safe, quality, and affordable long-term rental units.

Deadline for First Round Application Submittal: Applications can be submitted through May 20th, 2025 at 5pm. You can submit the application here. Paper applications can be mailed, picked up or delivered if necessary – please call us for that.

Construction Timeline: Summer 2025 – Spring 2026.

Questions? Email VRP@pbnsaves.org or call 716-852-3300

How It Works  

The program provides grants to cover renovation costs for eligible vacant rental units. Funding can be used for essential repairs, safety upgrades, and modernization—turning neglected properties into safe, quality housing.  This program does not give money to owners directly – PBN administers the funds and will hire and manage all constriction. PBN will not approve any property owners that evict tenants specifically to take advantage of this program.

Eligible Participants

An eligible participant must meet the following criteria:

  • Ownership: must be the legal owner of one of the following:
    • 1-5 unit residential property
    • Mixed-use building with up to five (5) housing units
    • Other buildings that will be converted to one of the above
  • Compliance Period: A 10-year Regulatory Period will be required during which the owner must be willing to execute an agreement and rental covenant on assisted units that will subject units to rent limits and other requirements.
  • Additional eligibility requirements do exist and can be found on our website: https://preservationbuffaloniagara.org/techservices/vacant-rental-program-niagara-falls/

Informational Session for Property Owners

Virtual: May 13th  from 12:00 Noon – 1:00 pm

Preservation Buffalo Niagara is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom webinar. This webinar will cover the basics of the program and will have time for Q&A.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bqTLyn57SF-p03Btz3LZpg
Passcode: 14301

Virtual: May 14th 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Preservation Buffalo Niagara is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom webinar. This webinar will cover the basics of the program and will have time for Q&A.
Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_yAMKJVTBQOS5G5W00cLo5Q
Passcode: 14301

In Person: May 15th 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.  Constance will be at the Misty Guild Café’ from 10am – 2pm to answer any questions and review the program with you as needed. No “presentation” will be given, this is meant to be a place to stop in casually if you have any questions / concerns. We will have paper applications on hand if anyone needs one.

Address: Misty Guild Café’ at 324 Niagara Street, Unit 103 New York 14301 (716) 215-6009.

We are excited to be able to assist property owners with important repairs! If there are any, please email VRP@pbnsaves.org or call 716-852-3300. For more about this program across New York State, you can find the details here: https://hcr.ny.gov/vrp