Diocese challenges Falls over making 2 churches 'landmarks'
NIAGARA FALLS — The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo said Tuesday it is “exploring all legal options” to challenge a decision by the City Council to designate two closed Catholic churches as local historic landmarks despite a request from diocesan leaders to delay the vote.
The diocese’s communications office issued a written statement in response to the Council’s unanimous vote Monday to designate St. George on Falls Street and Our Lady of Lebanon on Niagara Street as local landmarks.
The statement raised concerns that the designations would “place onerous burdens” on parishes that own the buildings because of “stringent preservation guidelines.”
“We are disappointed that the Council has ignored our request,” the statement issued by diocesan spokesman Kevin A. Keenan said. “This is nothing short of political landmarking with a government entity imposing its will on religious organizations.”
Keenan said a potential lawsuit opposing the city designation is an option.
Monsignor David S. Slubecky and other diocese representatives met last week with Mayor Paul A. Dyster and Council Chairman Sam Fruscione to request that the city delay the landmark decision four months to give its Parish Property Redevelopment Committee time to study the properties and work with the community to find reuses for the buildings.
Council members unanimously approved the landmark status for both buildings Monday night. They had previously voted to designate two other closed Catholic churches in Niagara Falls — Holy Trinity and Sacred Heart — as local landmarks despite the diocese’s concerns that it would place additional maintenance costs on local parishes.
Three of those closed church properties are owned by one merged parish, Divine Mercy. The other, Sacred Heart, is owned by St. Raphael Parish.
The city’s Historic Preservation Commission can recommend that a property be designated as a landmark without the owner’s consent.
“The City of Niagara Falls now has approved four Catholic church properties for landmark designation, yet the city has no landmark plan in place and has offered the parishes no assistance to help secure the massive amount of funding that will be needed to maintain these properties in accord with landmark guidelines,” the diocese statement said.
Slubecky wrote in a letter to city officials that parish-owned buildings are often not eligible for historic preservation tax credits and other incentives because they are religious corporations.
Keenan said the diocese is moving forward with a symposium planned for October or November to bring together preservationists, government officials, architects, urban planners, developers and other community leaders to examine the inventory of church properties in Western New York and explore redevelopment options.
Parishioners and residents who spoke in support of the landmark designations Monday said there are residents in the city ready to begin working to obtain funds or use other resources to preserve the buildings.
“I think we’re all interested in the well-being of Niagara Falls and want the best for the East Side and its neighborhoods,” said Maryanne Schultz, who helped prepare the architectural and historical information about St. George with the city’s Historic Preservation Commission.
Several residents said they were upset with how the diocese tried to intervene with the designation.
“It just hurts me that this is how the diocese handled this,” Councilman Chris Robins said during the vote.
The landmark designations approved by the Council now go to Dyster for approval or veto. He did not return a call for comment Tuesday, but has previously said he would work in conjunction with the City Council on the issue.
Thomas Yots, chairman of the city’s Historic Preservation Commission, said the meeting last week between diocese and city officials, as well as the upcoming symposium was positive in that it began a discussion to explore the future use of the buildings.
“The way that you save historic buildings that are not being used any more for their historic function is to find new uses for them that would allow them to still be what they were to the rest of the community, the value that they had to the rest of the community as pieces of architecture,” Yots said.
