Preservation by Relocation ... I like it.
It's the concept of saving a historic building by MOVING it, rather than repurposing it ... Amazing. Brave. Needed.
That's what the Diocese of Buffalo is calling the potential literal moving of St. Gerard's Church in Buffalo, NY to Atlanta, GA.
Check out this blog story. Apparently, they can't build churches fast enough in the South. So, a congregation in Atlanta, GA is interested in purchasing St. Gerard's Church and dismantling it ... stone by stone. According to officials in the Diocese of Buffalo, the prospects of selling the church are "nonexistent" to another congregation ... much less repurpose it.
An estimate for moving the church is $3 million dollars. Big side note ... that's how much they are paying for the new Catholic Church in Grafton, OH that I mentioned in a previous post.
Question to future congregations looking to find, or to build a new church ... How would you rather spend your $3 million dollars?
PHOTO: Sharon Cantillon/The Buffalo News
How extraordinary! By all means, save them and if it means moving them, then I say, "Go for it."
ReplyDeleteA pity that Diocese doesn't see it the same way. But then, is it really any surprise...?
In this particular case, it is the much-aligned Diocese of Buffalo that came up with the idea. Maybe the outcries about all the closed and half-rotted churches in Buffalo finally got to them.
ReplyDeleteIronically enough, it's some - NOT all, but SOME - of the preservationists in Buffalo who are fighting the idea. I guess they don't care how bad it sits and rots, as long as it's sitting and rotting in Buffalo!
MOVE THE THING!! And I hope there's more of this. Why let a thing of beauty and majesty become a thing of decay? We've got a few here in Toledo, if anyone down South wants to come and get them!
Make that "much-MALIGNED Diocese of Buffalo" ... although, when I websearch the name of the church, I don't find anything further published about it anywhere. I hope this idea hasn't been back-burnered.
ReplyDeleteHey Chip(?) i am looking for a guide to Cleveland Churches as I am thinking about coming there to try and photograph a couple (St. James?) get in touch with me to discuss
ReplyDeletehttp://360around.com