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491 Emslie
St. at Broadway, Buffalo, NY
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Church
history
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The Jesuits
came to buffalo in 1848. They founded St. Michael's Church in
1851.
Bishop Timon asked the Jesuits to start a new parish far out on
Batavia Street (now Broadway), then a rural and sparsely settled
area. St. Ann's was called the "wood choppers' parish"
because this area was woodlands, filled especially with hickory
and buttternut trees. It was an "all German" parish with
German or Alsatian priests.
In the early 1870's the small brick Romanesque church was too
small, and the parish decided to build a new, larger church.
The New York City architect was Francis Himpler, German-born and
educated at the Royal Academy in Berlin. When it was announced
that the cost of construction would be $100,000 or more, the
parishers decided to build it themselves.
It took 8 years to build the present church, 1870-78. Construction
progressed slowly because work and material were paid for as the
building advanced. The building was completed in 1886 at a cost of
$120,000. When Bishop Ryan consecrated the building on May 16,
1886, the entire building had already been paid for except for
furniture and furnishings.
As the city grew, so did this parish and by the late 1800's, St.
Ann's was among the largest Catholic parishes in the U.S. Six
other east side parishes were eventually carved out of St. Ann's
original boundaries
The sisters of St. Francis of Stella Niagara have served this
parish since 1874. |
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Supervising Architect
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Brother Halfmann, a member of the Jesuit order. |
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Style
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Gothic Revival |
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Building material
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Limestone. A quarry in Lockport was rented for two years to
provide the stone. |
Click on photos for
larger size |
