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Sacred Heart 214 Emslie Street, Buffalo New York current home of Witness Cathedral, Church of God in Christ |
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Sacred Heart 214 Emslie Street, Buffalo New York current home of Witness Cathedral, Church of God in Christ |
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| Sacred Heart's first church, built in 1875, was located
between Seneca and Swan Streets. Just half-a-block down the
street was
the Larkin
Administration Building, built in 1904 and designed by Frank Lloyd
Wright. In 1911, the Larken
Soap Company purchased the
church and school buildings to make room for further expansion.
The parish then acquired new property a few blocks away, between
Emslie and Watson streets, where the present church and school
buildings are located. The Larkin company went out of business
shortly after the Great Depression, and in 1950, the infamous Larkin Building
was torn down to put up a parking lot.
David Smith wrote and sent two newspaper articles from 1936, at the
time that the Larken company demolished the original church. The
first article writes about how Larkin used the former church as an auditorium
for employees. The second describes the contents of the churches
cornerstone. Click here to read the
articles. |
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The statue of the Sacred Heart at the peak of the church is enclosed in a green mesh. I don't know if this is to keep the statue from falling out or to protect it from birds and stones. |
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| This church and its neighborhood are in rough shape.
But I was impressed by two homes near the church that have outdoor
shrines dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The first (not pictured)
has a statue enclosed in a homemade wood and plexiglass display
case. In the front yard of the blue house above is a small
garden in the shape of a heart.
Follow this link for a history of Sacred Heart Parish that was written in 1929. The link is part of the Erie County RootsWeb site. Follow this link to the Witness Cathedral home page. |
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| Newspaper articles from 1936, at the time that the Larken company demolished the original church. | ||
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(c)2000 by Joe Hayden Hamburg, New York
