St. Mary's R.C. Church complex

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1986 fire - Peter R. Barber Photo




1979 photo by Buffalore, 1986 Peter Barber, 1986 photo source unknown
1980s photo David Torke fixBuffalo, PRS

Location

225 Broadway, Buffalo, NY 14204
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Ellicott Council District
SBL: 111.56-1-1
Erie County Property Info
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Next to: St. Mary's Lyceum
Across from: 180-200 Broadway

Owner

Original property is now divided into multiple parcels, mostly as fields or new housing

Physical Description

19th century limestone church, four story brick convent, and three story brick school building

Current Condition

St. Mary's R. C. Church, School, and Convent are all lost. Only the St Marys Lyceum remains.

History

  • 1844 - First St. Mary's Church built (180' x 40' feet brick building with little architecture)
  • 1845 - Parochial school established
  • 1848 - Bishop Timon laid the cornerstone of the new 186' x 81' foot limestone church
  • 1851 - A new school was constructed
    • For several years during this period, St. Mary's was the largest parochial school in the Diocese of Buffalo.
  • 1900 - Father Stern began the renovation of the church, including installation of a new marble high altar, a new floor, and the decoration of the sanctuary.
  • 1909 - Construction of the lyceum was completed
  • 1981 - The church was closed and sold to a salvage firm who planned to demolish the building
  • December 19, 1986 - Fire destroyed the church and school. Prior to the fire, many of the stained glass windows had been removed by the salvage company and had been given to the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society.
    • A twisted copper cross, two statues, the altar stone and reliquaries, plus a quantity of the building's Medina limestone were donated to St. Stanislaus Roman Catholic Church
  • May 1990 - Convent demolished
History courtesy BuffaloLore.com

Recent Events and Actions Taken

New housing was built on the land formerly occupied by the church and school. The land for the convent is now an empty field next to the lyceum on Broadway.

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Added 2013-07-18 • Last changed 2019-04-10