St. Mary's on the Hill - The End

Somewhere someone is smirking, fully delighted that St. Mary's on the Hill is finally gone...Hey jerk, you can retire now...Yep, a lot more damage has been done since these pictures were taken a few days ago...

Once concern was documented that the rectory...that roof way in back to the right (above)...was in hazardous condition...

...the bulldozers were out in force knocking down...the church......and then the school...

...before finally getting to the rectory. No reuse plan good enough for naysayers, no investigation into the feeble handoff from one slumlord to another...Well, there were a few of those...good intentions, bad intentions (no, I didn't forget who gutted the interior), same results... Maybe someone has big plans.  Maybe make a duty-free on that corner, sell it to the PBA, or better yet, a parking lot for the armory people....nothing against the armory, understand!

The Connecticut Street Armory is right next door, which was rebuilt after a fire...lived a few blocks away when that happened....a little suspense wondering if there were explosives inside...

The remains of the bell tower from a different angle....(yes, I like those window-framed shots)...

More photos from Tuesday evening here...I was fortunate to be there at the same time as Stan and Beth, so I walked around a bit more than I may have on my own. If you ever wondered what a gutted church looks like...

Curious that there's no word from any of the former parishioners.  Maybe they were all in their 90's and their grandkids could care less.  Maybe they did the grief thing in 1995 when it closed and don't want to look back.  Turned the Church Home and Hutchinson Chapel on Rhode Island and Busti out to pasture too, with no grass...How cold.

Pity no one ever told all the people who gave their blood, sweat, and tears to build beautiful places of worship that in the future the church "leaders" would scoff at their efforts...."it's only a building"...

Pictures from a few years ago, through the demo of the bell tower in pouring rain to the above pictures are here, also with a link on the side.  I'll probably be adding a few more from the Memorial/Protest Art-In tomorrow morning, so check back.

Until then, hum along with the Doors...this is The End...

The Fairfield Library

I almost hesitate to call this gem the Fairfield Library, because it isn't a library anymore...

...even though there are still books on the shelves...

As a matter of fact, it's for sale by the City of Buffalo, if you know anyone that wants it and can work their way through the hurdles set up to prevent poor ownership.  Problem is, the City isn't the best owner either. Apparently the neighbors have taken it upon themselves to cut the grass, tend the gardens, and pick up.  Read more on Painting for Preservation.

Originally it was a Unitarian Church, intended as an easier place to attend, back in the day when transportation was always an issue. Eventually they merged back with the main church on Elmwood.  Then the Lutherans  moved in, but they were busy building a bigger church, so they moved on also. Sort of a starter church I guess, of which there are a few that I know of, but the rest weren't designed by prominent architect William Sydney Wicks. It still has the bones of a church, from the front view, the side entrance, the windows, the stained glass (see books picture above), and so on.

 ...the roots of that black walnut tree may take over, left unattended...

Anyway, then the City took the church over, made it a library, and the rest is history, so to speak.

There are a few ideas floating around out there for potential reuse: a community lending area, or an art school, or a combination of the two. My own thought revolved around making it trendy residential with an open floor plan, perhaps with a home office in the basement area, which is probably already finished, judging from the staircase going downwards.  The choir loft would make a nice sleeping area too...wouldn't even have to add a spiral staircase! Alas, I think a large obstacle is the heating bill.  Probably not very energy efficient, although if someone were to go green, the angles for solar panels might be ideal.

On a fine summer morning, however, the library preened for the artists gathered around...

Still beautiful, still dignified, after all these years...

Shutterbug Tour of The Central Terminal

A month ago I was fortunate enough to tag along on a shutterbug tour of the Central Terminal.  I think most of us had high hopes of being allowed into hidden spaces, as was somewhat promoted on the overall story, but the specifications for the Terminal actually said "Mezzanine" (a shot from)...

...and "Trolley Lobby"...

...and that's what we got.  Not meaning to complain really, since I had never been inside before anyway.  It's just that a few of us had visions of being waaay up in the tower. However, it was not on the schedule; but an excellent and informative tour was!

Beautiful building, with history being preserved and enjoyed...

Outside too...

The Van Dyke Cab sign is a salute to an earlier time. For some reason the thought of having some type of treasure hunt there took hold...Maybe they had one once and it lodged in a brain cell somewhere.  There are still remnants of the days when it was a functioning train terminal everywhere.

Every way you looked there were church steeples in the distance, nestled among nearby homes...

An Art-In was held at the same time, so artists were scattered around too.

I took over 100 pictures but am trying to show some discretion here by only posting a few :) There are some great shots on the Painting for Preservation blog, and some beautiful artwork too.  I'm totally in awe of the artists that can put something together in a few hours and it looks like it took much longer.  Someday maybe I'll give it a try, but for now I can remain delusional as to what the results would look like :)

The Central Terminal is beautiful, and definitely an ongoing project of love by the restoration group.  They give tours, and not just at ghost-hunters time - go there and see for yourself!

The Walk to Defeat ALS - In Memory of Jerry Gorman

Nothing like waiting until the last minute, but the Walk to Defeat ALS aka Lou Gehrig's Disease is tomorrow!  Once again and always, team Jerry's Journey will be walking in memory of (Clarence alumnus) Jerry Gorman.