Tag: Fairfield Library
tuesday june 24th 2008
Groundhog Day: Is This One Doomed Too?
As the White's Livery building crisis fades into our societal memory, Buffalo moves forward (or should we say backward), and just like in the movie Groundhog Day prepares to live the same scenario of demolition by neglect, over and over again. The beautiful building pictured here is the former Fairfield Library. Will this one be the next loss?
The building was designed the late 1890's by architect and nearby resident William Sydney Wicks for the Unitarian Universalist Church. Many parishioners arrived for services via Belt Line Railroad which had a station within steps of the church (still standing). The Unitarian congregation disbanded in 1912 and sold it to Parkside Lutheran which used the building for 12 years, until they built a more grand church for themselves at Wallace and Depew in Central Park. In 1924, the City of Buffalo purchased the building for use as a library. In spite of its reportedly being the second busiest neighborhood library branch, it was closed …
