St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church, the Hydraulics landmark that once stood at the corner of Emslie and Seymour streets, was demolished in 1982 by the Diocese of Buffalo.
The erasure of the ecclesiastical monument, built in 1891 as the permanent house of worship for the parish founded at the site in 1853, was an act of vandalism against the public memory of the Hydraulics as Buffalo's first Irish neighborhood - later, a largely German and Polish neighborhood.
The memory of weddings, funerals, baptisms, many of the principal defining moments of the lives of the neighborhood's Catholic residents, disappeared as quickly as the rubble of the church's Medina sandstone walls could be carried away to the landfill.
Gone, too, was a resource that might have helped spur the ongoing redevelopment of the Hydraulics and the Larkin District today. The foresight simply wasn't there. The Hydraulics, it was clearly assumed, was a dying neighborhood. Why not help pull the plug?
When the cornerstone was laid in 1891, the plans for St. Patrick's were described by the Buffalo Express: "The new structure will be an ornament to the city and a credit to the people of the church. It will be in a pure gothic style, built of Medina sandstone, and will cost about $150,000. It will have a seating capacity of 1,250. In size it will be 80 by 160 ground measurement and 68 feet high to the top of the gable. Its two towers will be respectively 165 and 130 feet high. The inside height from floor to ceiling will be 60 feet. The plans were drawn by architects C. K. Porter & Son."
The Diocese contracted for the demolition of St. Patrick's, reportedly in fine shape prior to its dismantlement, without exploring adaptive reuse for the structure or marketing it to prospective buyers. The adjacent friary on Seymour Street is all that remains of the original church complex.
Special thanks to Tina Lewandowski for providing these stunning images. It is hoped they will help provide insight for current debates on the future of Buffalo's ecclesiastical landmarks.
First of all, nice job on the look, feel, and especially the content of the blog. You will be seeing my link to you very soon.
I worked in the 701 Seneca St. bldg. from 1984-1986, my 2nd job out of college. The Colad Group Inc., 4th floor. Parked across the street for almost 3 years and always assumed that the pile of bricks over in the NW corner of the lot had something to do with the adjacent train tracks or something. Who knew?
I remember watching from a fourth floor window one dark winter Friday night as a church burned a few blocks away. It was a stunning sight as embers flew out the top of the tall steeple in the dark. I believe it was a complete loss.
Looking at the maps today I would place the location at Jeff and Division. May be off a few blocks. We went over there on our way home that night and it was a working fire that you did not want to get close to even if you could.
I cannot recall the name of this church but it looks like the area lost 2 churches in quick succession.
Posted by: Dave Byers | June 12, 2010 at 05:27 PM