I walked around Lourdes Church on Main Street this afternoon (google map).
Lourdes Church - Main Street view
Lourdes is now open on every side. Previous posts and pics clearly show that the windows in the rear and side have been open for years. According to neighbors that I spoke with, damaging winds recently blew the boards off the prominent Main Street windows. Interior pics from September 2008 show a church stripped of any traces of architectural detail and stained glass.
Today's slide show of Lourdes Church.
An entity controlled by local developer and New York State gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino purchased Lourdes church last month for $40,000. The future of this Main Street landmark remains uncertain.
Lourdes Church - side view
Buffalo Rising is carrying this story today - House of the Hole-y.
Related posts:
- Lourdes on Main Street - For Sale, again (1/8/10)
- Lourdes Auction - Follow Up (9/13/08)
- Lourdes Auction (9/08/08)
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building index • fixBuffalo flickr • creative class • shrinking cities • americansuburbX
spacing toronto • infrastructurist • inhabitat
building index • fixBuffalo flickr • creative class • shrinking cities • americansuburbX
spacing toronto • infrastructurist • inhabitat
Looks like willful neglect, which can lead to the biggest of all cleaning agents - - fire.
How about a press conference on the steps for the prospective Governor?
When I called City Hall's third floor this morning I was told there's an inspection scheduled for Lourdes - 1115 Main Street - tomorrow.
Abandoned architecturally significant buildings seem to be a recurring theme in the City of Buffalo.
It is indeed a tragedy that the building was purchased with the sole intent of harvesting the stained glass windows, interior woodwork and any religious artifacts; assuming that not all had already been removed by the diocese.
I can imagine that the stained glass alone must have recouped the cost of the original purchase of the building and if they were fabricated by a well known name such as Tiffany’s then the cost was recouped threefold.
Though, any owner has a right to do whatever they please to their own building I cannot fathom that stripping it to the plaster walls falls under the category of “legal rights”. It is not as if the removal of stained glass panels, on a busy thoroughfare like Main Street, was not noticed by someone and/or the city contacted in regards to the (possible illegal) removal being taken place.
Perhaps it was as I do not know the history of this building….
The building does appear to be structural sound though, the interior photos indicate water infiltration.
I can only hope that Carl Paladino has some significant plans for the building other than a wrecking ball
With a population not equipped to support all of the buildings in Buffalo, how do you choose which ones to save? And who gets to choose? And then, who pays for it?
Turn it into a Yoga Studio. Call it "The Sanctuary" or something clever.
This building is beautiful. It would be nice if there were more windows to make it suitable for office space.