A Closer Look: Delaware Avenue Baptist Church
Delaware Avenue Baptist Church, an elaborate Medina sandstone building, has two towers capped with steeply-pitched pyramidal roofs, a device used by H.H. Richardson himself in the Buffalo Psychiatric Center (1869).
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Designed by architect John H. Coxhead in the Richardsonian Romanesque style (named for Henry Hobson Richardson, who designed the Buffalo Psychiatric Center), the church features a stained-glass dome atop a 6,500-square-foot vaulted sanctuary with mosaic-tile detailing inside. Coxhead designed hundreds of buildings in Buffalo and across the nation in his nearly 60-year career.
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The stained glass dome features mosaic-tile detailing. The church is for sale for $895,000 because the congregation of 250 members can't afford the upkeep of the 27,831-square-foot church, said the Rev. Michael J. Robinson, the church's pastor.
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The Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. The building, at 965 Delaware Ave. near Bryant Street, requires "some significant repairs," said Hunt Commercial Real Estate broker Steve Fitzmaurice, who listed the property along with Clarke Thrasher.
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The pipe organ in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. The Delaware Avenue Restoration Corp., a nonprofit formed by and affiliated with the church, is trying to raise $300,000 to $500,000 to fix the building and ensure its long-term survival.
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An intricate column top in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. Architect John H. Coxhead designed several other churches, along with the J.N. Adam TB hospital in Perrysburg and the Knox stables in East Aurora.
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Detail of a mosaic on the altar at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. One million tiles were used to create the mosaic altar.
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Already considered a local landmark, the church is located in the Linwood Avenue Historic Preservation District, just north of the Delaware Avenue Historic District, and it was recently recommended by the governor for inclusion on the state and federal Registers of Historic Places.
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The intricate detail is mirrored on the molding and on wall painting in the sanctuary of the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The sanctuary in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. The sanctuary includes extensive lower-level seating in wooden pews, as well as a vast balcony with an organ.
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A stained glass window at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Detail of one of the mosaics on the altar at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Detail of angels on the dome ceiling of the sanctuary at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Detail of the painting on the dome ceiling of the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The sanctuary at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. Architect and church member John H. Coxhead employed domes and skylights in many of his designs.
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The stained glass dome in the sanctuary of the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. Architect John H. Coxhead was a member of the church and at one lived within walking distance of the church.
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The sanctuary at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The domed ceiling of the sanctuary in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The massive pipe organ in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Frescoes in plaster frames line the archway on the balcony in the sanctuary of the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Rows of stained glass in the sanctuary at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Intricate woodwork on the south tower stairwell at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Detail of the bannister in the back hallway of the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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A seating area in the parlor of the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. The building includes three floors of meeting, classroom and office space, including a 700-square-foot kitchen, a library, a fellowship hall and a lounge.
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Intricate door molding in the sanctuary at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Views from upper balcony of the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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One million tiles make up the mosaic on the altar at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Detail of a pew marker in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. Among the repairs needed are the leaky roof, much of which is original to the building. "It's well over 100 years old now, and there are places where it's deteriorated to the point where it needs replacing," said Paul McDonnell, chairman of the city's Preservation Board.
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The Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. "We're sad that the congregation feels the church is beyond their long-term financial wherewithal. It's really a very special building," said Paul McDonnell, chairman of the city's Preservation Board. The church's deep arcaded porch and arched door openings are also reminiscent of H.R. Richardson's Buffalo Psychiatric Center design.
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Detail of mosaic tiles on the altar of the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Intricate gold painting on the dome ceiling of the sanctuary at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The curve of the balcony mirrors the curve of the arch above in the sanctuary in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The sanctuary in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Thousands of tiny tiles make up the mosaic floor of the altar in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The baptismal font behind the altar in the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Detail of one of the angels on the dome ceiling of the sanctuary at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Thousands of tiny tiles make up the mosaic floor of the entryway to the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Detail of the molding in the sanctuary of the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Thousands of tiny tiles make up the mosaic floor of the entryway to the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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Angels adorn the domed ceiling in the sanctuary at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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A stained glass window at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The Delaware Avenue Baptist Church. Paul McDonnell Paul McDonnell, chairman of the city's Preservation Board, said any redevelopment that relies on historic tax credits would be prevented from altering the sanctuary, which is "the defining element."
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Intricate painting on the walls of the balcony at the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church.
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The Delaware Avenue Baptist Church has started looking for a new and smaller location in the city, ideally within a mile of Delaware Avenue so it can keep a name that "has significance and history," said the Rev. Michael Robinson. "We don't need 30,000 square feet of space."
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Tuesday, April 2, 2019
The Delaware Avenue Baptist Church, built in 1894, is for sale because the congregation of 250 members can no longer afford the upkeep of the massive building.
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