Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
There have been a bunch of nice old churches many with convents/rectories for sale. Some like St Matthew on Ferry ended up going for a dollar or so - and now someone says they fixed it up and wants $80k.
There is another that was unsellable and may be moved to Georgia. Its a beauty!
While there may be some hope that Buffalo could stop its loss of population in general, the demographic that would all of a sudden fill a church is totally gone forever. Increased heating costs make them more of a while elephant and finally once they become private the Taxation and Assessment taxes them at many times market value. Trying to reason with them is impossible.
Right now there are a bunch for sale Lewis St, Benzeger, Lovejoy, Lafayette and more. The price tags -although reasonable for some places are way too high for Buffalo.
The result is that the best thing about Buffalo - the architecture - is going to sit vacant and uncared for till its too far gone. The Catholic Diocese is going to dump more churches on the market in a year or two, worsening the problem.
Hmm maybe I should write this for the Buffalo News lol
Any ideas? Anyone seen any of the above churches in person??
You only get a tax break if you are a NON-PROFIT! Forget it if you make something apts and make money.
Years ago ( like the late 60s/early 70s) the "New" RC Cathedral was found to be on unstable ground and was taken down. The Diocese had all the items from it ( it was fabulous) sent out west so they would not return and used sacreligiously.... surprise, there was a restauranteur who bough up much of it ( and other churches) and put them in the restaurants. Not nice.
Old churches should be sold for what they are, churches. One I know of was turned into apts (Transfiguration, Episcopal, in N. Buffalo). Ani Di Farnco bought Asbury Methodist and refurbished it. The Karpeles Manuscript Museum is in another. But to use them for rental? I think it is wrong. JMO.
There are not enough churchgoers due to a combination of factors 1. General population decline 2. Specific decline in church going population even worse than the general decline 3. #s 1 and 2 will be worse in the future.
I understand the non profit status.
The choices are either let them stay vacant and decline or tax them at the real market value which is minimal otherwise no one will buy them. When they can't be sold they decay and even though I am not in Buffalo I can give you example such as Matthews on ferry and Lourdes where no one would bid past the $25k opening bid - for a huge church.
You can pray that all the nice families will move back to East Ferry and away from Clarence and all the criminals will leave East Buffalo and go north to live in a nice suburb - but it aint happenin!
There are not enough churchgoers due to a combination of factors 1. General population decline 2. Specific decline in church going population even worse than the general decline 3. #s 1 and 2 will be worse in the future.
I understand the non profit status.
The choices are either let them stay vacant and decline or tax them at the real market value which is minimal otherwise no one will buy them. When they can't be sold they decay and even though I am not in Buffalo I can give you example such as Matthews on ferry and Lourdes where no one would bid past the $25k opening bid - for a huge church.
You can pray that all the nice families will move back to East Ferry and away from Clarence and all the criminals will leave East Buffalo and go north to live in a nice suburb - but it aint happenin!
Have you ever seen the sizes of the suburban parishes? St. Mary's (Swormsville). St. Amelia, St. Chritopher & St. Andrew's (all Tona), St. Mary's on the Hill ( Lancaster)... you can go on and on. Some have many many masses as they can't get everyone at one.... and yes, they are the people who moved to the burbs. My husband was brought up at St. Bartholemew's ( where Sr. Karen was killed and the priest years back) and St. Matthews is where my best friend was brought up -- one of the last marriages in the parish before it closed. My daughter goes to OLV basilica.
If the city was no so crime & drug-ridden and if the city had safety & decent housing for the middle class ( it has them for the wealthy and newer subsidized homes for the poor which are nicer than my 50s ranch), those parishes would not be empty.
Blame the middle class flight all you want; safe decent housing for the middle class is not in the areas of the city with closed parishes.
LOL Buffalo Transplant that's like saying if only Buffalo wasn't in the north it wouldn't get so cold or If Bush had intelligence and integrity he might not be he worst president.
I can't predict if Marshawn Lynch will be the best rusher in the NFL(but he's a smart Cal grad who is underrated) but certain things one can predict without a crystal ball.
Buffalo ain't a movin south, Bush ain't a gettin smart, and the middle class ain't a comin back to fix up the slums and chase away the criminals.
LOL Buffalo Transplant that's like saying if only Buffalo wasn't in the north it wouldn't get so cold or If Bush had intelligence and integrity he might not be he worst president.
I can't predict if Marshawn Lynch will be the best rusher in the NFL(but he's a smart Cal grad who is underrated) but certain things one can predict without a crystal ball.
Buffalo ain't a movin south, Bush ain't a gettin smart, and the middle class ain't a comin back to fix up the slums and chase away the criminals.
"Buffalo" never would have left if there had been no reason to. If it hadn't "left" the parishes would be full and new ones not needed.
I didn't say come back and "fix the slums". [If they had not become slums, no one would have left.] The city needs new middle class housing [like the burbs build], not the stuff that is the value of middle class decent housing which gets subsidized for half the cost based on income. That subsidized stuff is a slap in the face to those who want to live in the city and don't want an old house but can't find a place to build or buy ( god forbid!) new... unless they are on govt. poor guidelines and can get subsidized.....
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
