Neighbors of the church at 224 Hudson Street on the city’s lower west side received some disturbing news. Upon calling the church to ask to use the space for a meeting they learned that the Pentecostal Buffalo Missionary had closed its doors. The future of the church was not revealed. But recent history in Buffalo has not been kind to closed churches. Will this one go the same way as so many other magnificent churches that have been demolished or left to rot? Just a few years of vacancy and neglect can drain substantial value from a building like this. This building currently has no individual historic landmark designation and sits outside the nearby Allentown Historic District. This leaves it with no protection from demolition. Buffalo cannot afford to continuously lose these structures. With a city that is shockingly lax in enforcing its building codes and with little proactive leadership in government for historic preservation THe church will be in grave danger absent competent ownership.
The building was erected in 1881 as the The Free Baptist Church making it over 130 years old. It is the last building in existence designed by Porter and Percival. It is considered the first ‘free’ Baptist church. It is a relatively basic Gothic design which speaks to the simple working class roots of the neighborhood. Still, it exudes great power as its facade and two asymmetrical towers rise dramatically off the sidewalk close to the street. It has many tall slender leaded windows and a very nice Gothic tracery over the front door. The neighborhood has been racked with economic decline for decades and there are several vacant lots now. However, over all most of the buildings in the area are in good condition and property values just a few blocks east and north have made impressive gains. The Niagara Street Tops Market is just a block away and downtown is just a few minute commute on foot. All of this makes this property potentially valuable in the right hands. The church is grand but not of an unusually large size making it an easy conversion to other uses if necessary. This one needs to be watched now while it is vulnerable but not yet a lost cause. It cannot be lost! I will post more info as It becomes available