11 December 2007

St. Ann's...



From: Steel @ Buffalorising.com


Saint Ann's Church at Broadway and Emslie on Buffalo's East Side celebrates its 150th anniversary in August of 2008 and then it will be promptly closed down by the Catholic Diocese. "Dear patrons thank you for your patronage you can find your heritage in the trash as you leave."


This story is the second in a bittersweet series documenting my recent one-day tour through the city's ravaged East Side. St. Ann's was actually the last stop on my tour. After having attended portions of at least six Sunday masses I headed over to St. Ann's at the advice of my father. He said that the interior is not to be missed. I had actually long thought that this church was already closed down. It is in an area of the city that had experienced major demographic shifts away from a predominantly Catholic population many generations ago (as opposed to some areas of the city which have only experienced this shift within the last generation). Its windows are covered with dense yellowed fiberglass sheets for protection, which makes them appear to be boarded up. For many years I had passed this magnificent edifice wondering if anything would ever be done with it, never realizing that it was still home to.... (more).

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