by William Koch
The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is pleased to announce that the former St. Francis Xavier Church, Rectory and School have been added to the National Historic Register as of August 20th, 2009.
This National Historic Register recognition highlights not only the architectural significance of the complex, but also its importance to the history of Buffalo. All three buildings on the St. Francis Xavier Complex were included in the designation.
The parish of St. Francis Xavier dates from the 1850’s, but the oldest structure is the sturdy three story school built in 1894.
The Romanesque Basilica style church, designed by Max Beierl of the locally prominent firm Lansing and Beierl, was completed in 1913 and contains stunning murals by Benedictine Monk Fr. Raphael Pfisterer and unique stained glass windows by F.X. Zettler. These windows were made in Munich, Germany.
St. Francis Xavier Church closed as a parish in 2007. Since then the Buffalo Religious Arts Center has been caring for the maintenance and preservation of these three buildings.
The Buffalo Religious Arts Center is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.