I can’t take credit for this one. The vacant Immaculate Conception Church at 150 Edward Street got a new owner the same day that this ‘On the Market’ post ran. Architect and artist Dennis Maher purchased the church for $35,000 on Monday from Plaza One Group. The adjacent rectory was not part of the deal.
The Buffalo News’ Colin Dabkowski has the details:
He plans to convert it into a living laboratory for artistic and architectural experimentation, a place he calls “A Center for the Urban Imaginary” designed to nurture the city’s collective imagination.
Assembly House 150, as Maher is retitling the former church, will house classroom space for students, a gallery and studio where artists and tradespeople will collaborate on architectural and artistic projects and a for-profit design and building studio that will help foster a new crop of buildings in the city.
The repair of the building also will be central to Maher’s project.
Assembly House is an extension of his ongoing Fargo House project, Maher’s home and studio on the West Side that he has turned into a fascinating living sculpture. As word gets out about his Fargo House project, Maher is getting more and more requests from arts educators and others who want to tour the space. The church, he said, will allow more of the public to view and participate in the work.
Maher got a steal. The 9,500 sq.ft. church had been listed at $125,000. The list price for the 6,800 sq.ft. rectory is $295,000