93 Massachusetts

In honor of the conclusion of Extreme Makeover in Buffalo, there is another small church to highlight on Massachusetts Avenue. According to an 1890 NY directory, 93 Massachusetts was originally a saloon, built by John Neeson. He made sure we'd always remember his name, even if we didn't know much else about him.


The building itself has probably had many uses throughout the years, or no use at all as it appears abandoned in this photo from 2004 (borrowed from some unremembered site).


Now the building has new life. It still needs a lot of work, which is being done slowly, as well as a connecting structure at 796 Prospect. Perhaps that was a rooming house at one time.




The congregation of His Dwelling Place now makes its home at 93 Massachusetts. I saw some people peeking out the door last Sunday as the commotion down the street was just beginning, and from a quick glimpse it appeared to have a warm interior in a type of auditorium/large meeting room setting.


It's too bad it fell outside the perimeter of the Extreme Makeover crew, but I don't think sand blasting and brick repointing/repairing companies were on hand. It's something to keep in mind though, as part of Buffalo's history and future.