Buffalo churches recommended to close could become historical landmarks

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — As the Buffalo Diocese continues to meet with parish families to finalize which churches will remain open, the city is looking to turn a few recommended to close into historical landmarks.

The Buffalo Preservation Board plans to vote on four separate applications next month to keep churches in Western New York standing for generations to come.

If the buildings become landmarks, whoever buys them won’t be able to tear them down and will have to make sure they’re maintained.

“Oftentimes in the City of Buffalo, churches were built first and then the community was built around it,” said Buffalo Common Councilmember Mitch Nowakowski.

In June, the Buffalo Diocese recommended the closure of nearly 90 worship sites. Since then, parishioners and local preservationists have been fighting to keep these historical sites from falling down.

The nonprofit, Preservation Buffalo Niagara, stepped in to create applications for St. Thomas Aquinas in South Buffalo, St. Rose in North Buffalo, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in the Old First Ward and St. John Kanty on the East Side to be given landmark status.

“They can potentially and hopefully protect these very beautiful historic churches from potential demolition in the future,” said Bernice Radle, Preservation Buffalo Niagara’s executive director.

The Buffalo Preservation board will vote on the applications and, if approved, they will move to the Buffalo Common Council, who has the final say.

“A large amount of these churches are in my district, and I will be scrutinizing the applications, but I’m ultimately very excited to help move this through the Common Council and shepherd it through,” Nowakowski said.

A spokesperson from the Catholic Diocese said they will not challenge the historic landmark status, adding that it won’t influence their decision to merge or close the church during the rightsize and reshape movement.

“I think it’s always the intention of the diocese that these buildings be preserved moving forward even as we transition away from ownership for some of these properties,” said Joseph Martone, the spokesman of the Buffalo Diocese.

It won’t cost any money for the churches to become historic landmarks, yet future expenses of landmark status concern the diocese.

“There may be additional costs going forward [for the new owners] as they maintain the stained glass and certain architectural elements,” Martone said.

Preservation Buffalo believes without the landmark status, it will cost taxpayers money, not the new owners.

“It costs over $1,000,000 to demolish a traditional church. It will cost either the City of Buffalo, the county, the building owners, the taxpayers,” Radle said. “So it’s in our best interest to see that these buildings are safe and protected.”

The diocese said funds will be available for the successor parish to keep up the properties until they are sold. Preservation Buffalo will use money from donations to do the same if the landmark status goes through.

The Buffalo Preservation board is planning to vote on applications to name the churches as local landmarks on Sept. 5. If approved, Nowakowski said it could take up to a month for the council to make a decision.

To see all of WIVB News 4’s coverage on the Buffalo Diocese structuring, click here.

Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.