Another church on the east side is slated for demolition
with an owner who is unwilling to sell. This handsome brick church at 41 Spruce
Street was built for the First German Baptist Church in 1869. The current
owners, Trinity Baptist Church, have owned the building since 1940 according to
Erie County Property records. I was able to get in touch with the church, located at 2930
Bailey Avenue and the receptionist informed me that the church will be
demolished shortly and they will not consider selling it. This decision
apparently comes after a structural report revealed the building was “beyond
repair.”
confirms that demolition is imminent. I spoke with Taleshia in the office who stated
that the owners have a demolition permit, but have not yet raised the necessary
funds. Apparently, the owners are able to do a sort of payment plan pre-demo,
which once fully funded will mean the end for this 144 year old church.
The following is a brief history of the church from James
Napora’s fantastic document, Houses of
Worship: A Guide to the Religious Architecture of Buffalo, New York:
First German Baptist Church was the third German Baptist congregation organized
in the United States. In the early 1840s, a small group of German Baptists,
under the leadership of Alexander von Puttkamner, a nobleman from Southern
Germany, fled the religious persecution of their homeland. Arriving in Buffalo,
the group joined the Washington Street Baptist Church also known as the First
Baptist Church. Although welcome in the congregation, they did not feel
comfortable with the English language service. On 14 February 1849, twenty-four of these immigrants were
dismissed to form their own congregation.
building now stands and converted an old school house located on it for
worship. By 1869, they had outgrown that space and had begun plans for the
current structure. Recognizing the social importance of the place of worship,
they constructed their building in a manner common to most German places of
worship of the day. The actual auditorium was raised above street level,
allowing for community and classroom space to be located on the lower level. Constructed
at a cost of $14,000, they dedicated their new building on 6 February 1870.”
This wouldn’t be the first time a building has come down as
a result of a questionable structural report with similar claims, see Bethlehem
Steel demolition, but it’s anyone’s guess if that’s the case here. While
I’m certainly not an engineer, from my personal observations, the extent of the
deterioration seems largely repairable and looks limited to a small section of
failed roofing and some slight masonry issues. I’ve dealt with buildings in my line of work that were in far worse condition than this, but were successfully rehabilitated.
less than one mile from Lafayette Square, easily reached in five minutes by bicycle.
Additionally, Spruce Street is a sleepy little street where I have never
encountered problems.
two residential units within it. The first floor classroom space is ideal for
an open floor plan and could be easily separated from the upper floor sanctuary
space. The two rooms to the rear
of the space, separated by pocket doors, would be ideal for a master bedroom in
one and the kitchen in the other. The highlight of the building would be the
unit in the sanctuary space.
the bedroom on the balcony would allow for a magnificent unit, while retaining
the open feeling associated with sanctuary spaces. Dividing the building into
two units this way may even be acceptable within the historic tax credit
program, which would allow an owner up to 40% in tax credits if the building
were a certified historic structure. Churches are difficult to convert within
HTC program because the sanctuary space cannot be divided. However, with my design
concept the sanctuary would remain open, intact, and provide a wonderful living
space for someone with the right vision.
the owners into selling, please get in touch with me and I’ll do my best to
meet with them. For additional photos of the church, check out my Flickr page by clicking here.