Today, the local landmark status for St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church (651 Washington St.) and All Saints Roman Catholic Church (205 Esser Ave.) was approved at the Legislative Council meeting!
We are so grateful for continued support from the City of Buffalo Common Council. We would like to extend our sincere gratitude to Councilman Joseph Golombek and Majority Leader Leah Halton-Pope for their support in making this happen. Most importantly, we want to thank the parishioners of both churches for their dedication, passion, and commitment to preserving the history and legacy of these beloved landmarks.
As a reminder to our church goers and owners, achieving the City of Buffalo local landmark status means means you are eligible to apply for grant funding for repairs and renovation needs via the New York Landmarks Conversancy for Sacred Sites funding and the Fund for Sacred Spaces.
The research and status also helps to pave the way to getting the churches on the National Register of Historic Places, which has brought larger funding to churches throughout our region as we have recently seen with the Universal Unitarian Church on Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo.
If you know or work within a church that is looking to submit a local landmark application, please reach out. We would love to help. As a non profit, we can research and apply at a reasonable cost to you and that helps keep our organization going, too!
St. Michael’s Church
Next Up on the Local Landmark Effort – Saint Martin of Tours at 1140 Abbott Rd. in South Buffalo. The City of Buffalo public hearing is March 11th at 1pm in the City of Buffalo Common Council Chambers. If you want to show your support, email info@pbnsaves.org and we will be happy to share those with the Council.
As part of our ongoing Save Our Sacred Sites efforts, we know there are several Catholic Churches closing in Niagara Falls, NY. We also know there are many other Churches that are at risk and/or have recently closed.
We want to be a resource for you and your Church. While our tools are limited due to time and financial restraints, we want to help if we can. For example, once approved, our Local Landmark effort allows Churches to apply for important funding through NYS for repairs! We can do those local landmark applications for you – for a small fee to cover our costs of research and application.
So if you have a Church in your community that you want to see saved, please fill out this google form to let us know of the details and we will get back to you!
Also, if you didn’t catch it, we did a great lunch and learn with Monte Anderson, a Dallas-based Developer who has renovated several churches, and our Executive Director, Bernice Radle, on repurposing church spaces. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp6f7r0KLUY
Love,
Emily, Bernice, Laura, Constance, and the rest of the PBN team.
On Thursday, December 19, the Preservation Board will consider local landmark status for three remarkable churches—All Saints Roman Catholic Church, St. Martin of Tours, and St. Michael’s Church—as well as the Brewers Hill Historic District. These sites reflect the architectural beauty, cultural significance, and historical depth of Buffalo, and this public hearing offers a chance to support their recognition and protection.
Each local landmark application was researched, drafted, and submitted through our Save of Sacred Sites initiative launched in June 2024 as a result of the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo closing 78 churches in WNY. The City of Buffalo Preservation Board is meeting Thursday, December 19th at 3 pm in Room 901. You can read through the meeting agenda here.
Brewers Hill Historic District
PBN has submitted the Brewers Hill Historic District for local historic designation as part of the Save Our Sacred Sites initiative! This nomination was inspired by the closing of the St. Jude Center, now listed for sale by the Catholic Diocese. You can find the application data here.
Located just north of downtown Buffalo near the medical campus, the Brewers Hill district features eight historic buildings on Washington and Ellicott Streets. These structures, dating back to the mid-19th century, are the last remnants of a once-thriving residential neighborhood. The proposed district showcases a variety of architectural styles, including Italianate, Second Empire, and Queen Anne. Read about all about the proposed local historic district here.
Nestled in the heart of downtown Buffalo, St. Michael’s Church stands not just as a place of worship, but as a symbol of historic preservation. Designed by architect Patrick C. Keeley, this Romanesque Revival masterpiece showcases 19th-century craftsmanship through its use of indigenous materials like Buffalo limestone, Lockport silver limestone, and Albion sandstone. Keeley, whose prolific career included over 600 churches nationwide, left an indelible mark on American religious architecture, with St. Michael’s exemplifying his visionary skill.
The church’s resilience is further highlighted by its reconstruction after a devastating fire caused by a lightning storm in 1962. Under the guidance of architect Roswell E. Pfohl, the restoration preserved the historic exterior while incorporating innovative elements such as steel trusses and a concrete roof deck. The integration of 19th-century stained-glass windows, alongside new duplicates crafted by Franz Mayer’s studio, underscores the church’s blend of historical preservation and modern restoration techniques.
St. Michael’s Church at 651 Washington Street.
All Saints Roman Catholic Church
205 Esser Avenue Buffalo, NY
Located at 205 Esser Avenue, All Saints Roman Catholic Church is a multi-building complex constructed between 1911 and 1959. Founded by Bishop Charles H. Colton, the parish began with a small frame church built in 1911 that tragically burned down just two years later. The parish quickly rebuilt, erecting a Collegiate Gothic-style school and church designed by Esenwein & Johnson, which became a cornerstone of the Riverside community. In 1938, a new Colonial Revival-style church, featuring a stunning Wurlitzer Pipe Organ from the Hotel Statler ballroom, was added to accommodate a growing population. A Colonial Revival-style convent, designed in 1951 by George A. Dietel and Edward A. Pauly, served as a residence for 18 nuns and later became the parish rectory. Over the decades, additional structures, including a two-story school expansion in 1958, further solidified their role as a community hub for worship, education, and fellowship.
All Saints Roman Catholic Church
St. Martin of Tours Roman Catholic Church
1112 Abbott Road Buffalo, NY
St. Martin of Tours, located at 1112 Abbott Road, was designed in the Mid-Century Modern architectural style. Built between 1949 and 1959 by Backus, Crane, and Love, the church features a front-gabled roof, brick exterior, and an exposed frame bell tower housing bells salvaged from St. Patrick’s Church after its demolition in 1982. The parish was established in 1926 to meet the spiritual needs of the rapidly growing community, with land donated by the Kinsey Real Estate Company. The original frame church, designed by George Dietel, was replaced in 1959 with the current structure to accommodate the burgeoning parish of 1,800 families.
We are launching the “SAVE WONDERBREAD” Campaign. Harry Stinson, the owner of Wonder Bread, is rumored to be selling the building to Milkbone which wants to buy and demolish it for parking.
Wonder Bread is a local landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Buildings. This means it is historic and has direct access to millions of dollars in historic tax credit money for renovation. Several preservation-friendly developers have stepped forward with offers and to our knowledge, Harry Stinson has not accepted them. At this time, we are working to facilitate interested parties and will connect them right to the owner.
Why are we worried? An emergency demolition order from Housing Court carries weight. We will be attending to ask the judge to not demolish Wonder Bread because we have been told the owner will NOT be defending this demolition hearing. Please sign our petition below so we can show community support for this iconic building!
From Bernice Radle, our Executive Director: “We have tried to work with the owner – provided him letters of support, did a tour to raise awareness, and even connected him with several potential preservation friendly buyers of the property. At this time with a looming housing court date demolition hearing, we have to take action. ”
