Published: May 07, 2008 09:33 pm            

NIAGARA FALLS: Longtime church on the verge of history

Local landmark status still needs council approval

Wednesday was another historic night for a shuttered Niagara Falls church.

The city’s Historic Preservation Commission approved an application to bestow local landmark status upon Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church, which was closed under the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo’s Journey in Faith and Grace parish consolidation plan.

Before the church officially becomes a historic landmark, it must pass one more hurdle: Approval at the May 19 City Council meeting.

“I feel hopeful and optimistic the City Council will vote yes,” said Sacred Heart parishioner Domenic Barile Jr. “We’ve been fighting for three years. When you have it in your heart, you don’t give up.”

Founded in 1854, Sacred Heart Church and three other buildings on its campus are located at the corner of 11th Street and South Avenue. The church had a congregation of 617 families before being closed last month and merged with St. Teresa of the Infant Jesus under a new parish named St. Raphael.

Like the recent historic designation of Holy Trinity Church, the preservation commission sponsored Sacred Heart’s application to overcome a loophole in local landmark by-laws. Diocese officials have gone on record saying awarding landmark status on closed churches would result in financial hardship for the parishes, but they will “reluctantly accept” the final decision of the commission and council.

Commission Chairman Tom Yots said he was taken aback during a recent tour of the Sacred Heart campus, which includes the church, rectory, convent and school.

“I was blown away by the condition of the buildings,” Yots said. “They were in excellent condition.”

If approved by the council, the landmark status for Sacred Heart will include all of the exterior buildings on the campus and the interior of the church, such as the altar, organ and windows. The designation would protect the buildings from falling into disrepair or being demolished and make them eligible for state and federal historic preservation status as well as various grants and tax credits.

About 50 Sacred Heart parishioners attended Wednesday’s commission meeting to support the application, but only one of them spoke during the public hearing.

“We are here to preserve all of Sacred Heart,” said parishioner Remi Gonzalez. “This is a victory for the people who are the church.”

        

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