PBN launches campaign to save Buffalo churches

Buffalo, New York (WBEN) – In an effort to prevent historic churches from being closed by the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo, potentially putting them at risk of being condemned and demolished, Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) is launching a campaign to raise funds to submit applications of local monuments for churches in danger.

“If buildings need to be renovated, if they need to be demolished, local landmark status will ensure their protection,” says Bernice Radle, executive director of Preservation Buffalo Niagara. “When you achieve local landmark status, you can then open the doors to other grants available in New York State.”

Specifically, this designation will ensure oversight of churches, since the city’s preservation board will have to review any changes. If historic status could be achieved at the national and state levels, more tax credits and grants could become available.

One of the 15 churches PBN has identified that need to be saved is Our Lady of Perpetual Help on O’Connell Street, where they stood, along with parish members and the Fillmore District councilman Buffalo, Mitch Nowakowski, to announce the campaign.

“I appeal on behalf of my constituents not to close this structure and to understand that in the future, if the diocese wants to make a quick and timely decision, they have an obligation to the residents of the former first district of an adaptive reuse that positively promotes this structure and the community around it.

In addition to applying for local landmark status, the PBN will conduct the necessary research with the funds raised to submit certain churches to the State Historic Preservation Office so that these churches can potentially access the necessary tax credits for historic preservation and to other preservation grants. in the future.

“So if these buildings are vacated, developers or community members who are interested in purchasing the churches will understand if they have access to historic tax credits,” Radle says. “Almost every historic building you see renovated benefits from historic tax credits, so it’s important that all of these things happen.”

The timeline to expedite local landmark status in Buffalo is approximately 2 to 3 months, according to PBN estimates.

Click here to donate or learn more about the initiative.