Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) is proud to announce the launch of the “Save Our Sacred Sites” initiative aimed at funding and submitting local landmark applications for churches within the City of Buffalo that are at risk of closure by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo.
The initiative will focus on two key actions: submitting a local landmark application for each church to the City of Buffalo and submitting a “determination of eligibility” application to SHPO as needed.
You can find the campaign details here: https://preservationbuffaloniagara.org/special-projects/saveoursacredsites/
Overall, 14 / 15 Churches within the City of Buffalo are deeply at risk of vacancy and demolition because they have minimal or zero preservation protections. Each church application costs PBN ~$2500 to complete and we are requesting donations from the community to support it.
If you love or are impacted and want to donate to your church on the closing list within the City of Buffalo donate here.
We will also try our best to provide resources for churches as they come in. Here is an example of current grant funding for historic churches available. Note – most of this funding requires either National Register of Historic Places status or being a local landmark within the City of Buffalo. That is why this local landmark campaign is so important to do!!
Please note: if you are a church in Niagara Falls or the suburbs of WNY, we are also available to help but the tools may be a bit different. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us at info@pbnsaves.org .
Thank you!