I visited Transfiguration Church on Sycamore Street a few times this past week. While urbaneyes and I rang two of the three bells still high in the belfry and spent considerable time marvelling at the extraordinary beauty of what remains of the church's interior - others were shooting.
Jay Morrison of Toronto and Mat from the DK PhotoGroup were around. Jay's photo's - flickr slideshow - and Mat's - also, flickr slideshow - are really extraordinary and capture the unique beauty of one of Buffalo's most forgotten religious ruins at this moment in time. Olga was around, too. Check out her work - here, on livejournal.
Inside Transfiguration, finally...contains references and links to the sale of this church and recent Housing Court history. Sean Galbraith's work - another DK Photogroup member - is featured in that post. Amazing, bookmark the page and pass it around.
Still wondering how things like this happen. I mean the City's most progressive housing court advocate, Judge Nowak - probably in the history of Buffalo - has never seen the file on this building in his court room. Get this, in three years - index #869/97. And Common Council President David Franczyk, who lives just around the corner from Transfiguration Church - is silent and has spent more time trying to save Perrysburg - you just won't believe this - than he has in his own neighborhood. Oh, almost forgot, there's a Polish Bishop here in Buffalo, Bishop Kmiec, too. No Polish heartstrings to pull on this one. Strange, I know yet the storefront church directly across the street from Transfiguration is in significantly better condition.
Would love to listen to my favorite Mahler, Symphony #2 - Die Auferstehung, feet up in the choir loft here at Transfiguration sometime, soon. Way appropriate especially considering which poet Mahler embraces for inspiration on this one.
Jay Morrison of Toronto and Mat from the DK PhotoGroup were around. Jay's photo's - flickr slideshow - and Mat's - also, flickr slideshow - are really extraordinary and capture the unique beauty of one of Buffalo's most forgotten religious ruins at this moment in time. Olga was around, too. Check out her work - here, on livejournal.
Still wondering how things like this happen. I mean the City's most progressive housing court advocate, Judge Nowak - probably in the history of Buffalo - has never seen the file on this building in his court room. Get this, in three years - index #869/97. And Common Council President David Franczyk, who lives just around the corner from Transfiguration Church - is silent and has spent more time trying to save Perrysburg - you just won't believe this - than he has in his own neighborhood. Oh, almost forgot, there's a Polish Bishop here in Buffalo, Bishop Kmiec, too. No Polish heartstrings to pull on this one. Strange, I know yet the storefront church directly across the street from Transfiguration is in significantly better condition.
Would love to listen to my favorite Mahler, Symphony #2 - Die Auferstehung, feet up in the choir loft here at Transfiguration sometime, soon. Way appropriate especially considering which poet Mahler embraces for inspiration on this one.
Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
Writing the City • Woodlawn Row Houses • Tour dé Neglect - 2006 • faq • my flickr
buffalo olmsted parks conservancy
4 comments:
Incredible pics... 32 years a resident and I've never seen the place.
Who owns the title? Will the city tear it down?
-Jeff
ex-Buffalo.com
Anon 6:12,
Follow some of links to learn more about ownership issues.
Local Buffalo attorney is the responsible party.
It would appear as though his plan is to have the building declared for an emergency demolition and skate away from the demolition payments. This of course would leave Buffalo residents/taxpayers with the bill.
Nice, huh?
5 or six condo units would fit nicely in here in lieu of 5 or six plastic houses.
Jay's and Matt's pictures are incredible. Wow. I'll have more pics from that shoot up shortly. Thanks for the link :D
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