If you've been reading fixBuffalo for any length of time no doubt you've seen various sets of interior views of the stunningly beautiful and collapsing Transfiguration Church. Interior video here, and archive over here that includes the cover story from a recent issue of Artvoice last month - Fall From Grace.
Today begins another bizarre chapter in the pending collapse of this church. A west side activist passed along the following fund-raiser that she received in the mail today.
The return address is the corporate address for local Buffalo based attorney William Trezevant, the presumptive owner of Transfiguration Church. And yes, there's still an outstanding Housing Court warrant for his mother's arrest from 2002. Don't know if the following mailing is intended as a legal defense fund or not. Assume so. Bill - I mean Paul Francis and Associates - is expected back in Buffalo's Housing Court next week - index# 409/2007.
Strange that the mailing doesn't mention - some faded b&w pics, sure - Transfiguration by name. The fundraiser included packets of flower seeds you could purchase.
I'm assuming Bill has a list of block clubs and is sending this to various groups. In about 15 seconds after publishing this post google will pick up - Sycamore Street Sounds of Joy - for the first time ever.
Bizarre Bill, simply bizzare. See you next Wednesday in Court...again.
__________________________________________________________________________Today begins another bizarre chapter in the pending collapse of this church. A west side activist passed along the following fund-raiser that she received in the mail today.
Strange that the mailing doesn't mention - some faded b&w pics, sure - Transfiguration by name. The fundraiser included packets of flower seeds you could purchase.
I'm assuming Bill has a list of block clubs and is sending this to various groups. In about 15 seconds after publishing this post google will pick up - Sycamore Street Sounds of Joy - for the first time ever.
Bizarre Bill, simply bizzare. See you next Wednesday in Court...again.
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7 comments:
I am in shock!
Please return correct the address for contributions to sent to the new local home office:
William Trezevant, Esq.
227 Niagara Street
Buffalo, NY 14201
716 - 842 - 2558
Thanks for grateful help in rejuvenating this exammple important of immigrant improved neighborhood and residents!! Congress, sausage makers, "take back neighborhood", collectively shall overcome by contributing to funds, in your name and with discreet account number to receive adjacent funding. To urbane explores, per Sycamore Village logic development, all funding HUD/Block Grant per roofing /legal defense fund. Discretion advised.
i'm confused about the DC adress...why would they be there?
maybe i'll visit them over winter break. lol.
How come the court case is back in front of Judge Nowak ? Nowak recused himself previuosly as he has a conflict of interest. He went to school with owner Bill Trezevant, where they were co-officers of the UB Law School class they graduated together from.
It just seems inconceivable that there could be so many adjournments and judge switching. Either this is another case of dodge and roll from the owner and the Judge, or they had a falling out and the friendship is over.
The gross negligence in the inspection and legal process is evident in the building's condition. It dates back so long that it construes conspicuous abdication of legal, moral and ethical responsibilities. If I had the corporate ownership, judicial oversight or State inspection enforcement role I would quickly act before my credentials were revoked.
And, at this point, fire and/or emergency demolition is just too obvious an out. If that occured all the documentation on this building would point in a single direction. The police and fire departments have this building site under constant observation.
I realize this is somewhat off-topic, but I thought this might be an appropriate place to bring this up. As the Catholic Diocese begins to close more churches, I'm expecting to see much of the same demolition and decay that happened after the early 1990s church closings. As far as I can recall, the only successful re-use of a church building closed during that time is the King Urban Life Center at the former St. Mary of Sorrows on Genesee Street. The other buildings have either been left to decay, like Transfiguration and St. Matthews, or were demolished, like St. Nicholas and St. Monica's.
One of the first chuches to close under the "Journey in Faith and Grace" was Holy Name of Jesus on Bailey Ave. between Genesee St. and Walden Ave. This church, which had been devoted to Padre Pio in its last years, was quietly merged into Queen of Peace at the end of 2006. I say quietly because there has been virtually no mention of this church in any of the information released by the Diocese over the past year, other than to note that when Queen of Peace is merged into St. John Gualbert of Cheektowaga, they will also be responsible for dispensing with the Holy Name of Jesus property.
A month or so ago, I was driving by Holy Name of Jesus, when I noticed that fencing had been constructed around the property, and there was a construction lift parked next to the church. That's never a good sign, especially on the East Side. Yesterday, when I drove by, half of the steeple was gone. I don't know the extent of the work they're planning. Will this be a simple steeple-ectomy, or is the whole building coming down? Nobody knows.
As far as I know, there has been no mention of what's happening to Holy Name of Jesus in the mainstream or alternative media, or from the Diocese itself. I realize that this church isn't the most architecturally significant in Buffalo, but do you think something like this would go unnoticed in another part of the city? I don't just mean the Elmwood Village or Delaware District. If the steeple of St. Elizabeth on Grant Street was just gone one day without any warning, I think quite a few people would notice. Just an observation.
What's going on at Holy Name is a sign of what we can expect all over the city. The diocese quietly merged the church with Queen of Peace - the pastor, staff, and parishioners were not even notified until just recently that the diocese completed the required paperwork some 6 months ago and Holy Name had already ceased to exist in their eyes. The diocese also wrote to the Buffalo Preservation Board for advice regarding the steeple, but then proceeded to demolish it without waiting for an answer. And now Queen of Peace, a parish that had actually been growing, will have its last mass in November. How long before that beautiful complex becomes another Transfiguration / Holy Name?
It is amazing how Buffalo has just decayed in the past 30 years. Holy Name was never a wealthy parish; it had working class people. When I was a kid in the 1960's it was standing room only and there were 6 masses every Sunday. I played the organ there for the 8, 9, and 10 a.m. masses on Christmas Day - must have been around 1970. Msgr. Walker was the pastor. It was a beautiful church. My grandmother was a member since the church existed, my father went to school there, my sibs and I were baptized and confirmed there. Mom's funeral mass was held there. Dad died after the church was already closed.
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