Buffalo Common Council on giving landmark status to churches [Video]

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) – Members of the community flooded Buffalo Common Council Chambers on Tuesday to take part in a public hearing in support of giving landmark status to a handful of Catholic churches in the city.

Fillmore District Councilman Mitch Nowakowski says these churches are “architectural beauties” that can’t be recreated, which is part of the reason why he supports giving them a landmark status.

“By having a landmark status, it will preserve the architectural integrity of these structures when they’re eventually sold to somebody, privately and are adaptively reused,” Nowakowski said. “A lot of those guidelines preserve the structural integrity, the glass, the materials, and make sure that these architectural gems are contributing to our built environment and our fabric in the city of Buffalo for centuries to come.”

Bernice Radle with Preservation Buffalo Niagara says that although she is happy with the overwhelming support to preserve these churches, the Diocese’s restrictive …