Local landmark church commemorates construction centennial

Blessed Trinity Church, a Buffalo Landmark since 1977, is observing the centennial of the laying of its cornerstone on Sunday, Aug. 6. Father Robert L. Gebhard Jr., senior parochial vicar, will conclude the 10 a.m. Mass with an outdoor rededication ceremony commemorating the original dedication by Bishop William Turner on Aug. 7, 1923.

The anniversary event will begin with the Sunday worship service including hymns accompanied by music director Elizabeth Bailey-Sands Clay on the parish’s original 1927 Tellers-Kent organ. It concludes with a reception in the parish hall at which members of the parish docent team will be recognized. For the parish, it marks the beginning of a five-year centennial observance of the building’s construction from 1923-1928.

Long recognized as one of the finest examples of Lombard-Romanesque architecture in the United States, the building’s distinctive features include handmade Harvard bricks laid in a medieval fashion; extensive use of terra cotta, both structural and decorative; and more than 2,000 Christian symbols displayed in its art and architecture. In addition to being the first landmark named by Buffalo’s Landmark and Preservation Board in 1977, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 and is recognized as a New York State Historic Site.

Located at 317 Leroy Ave., Blessed Trinity is wheelchair accessible. For more information visit www.blessedtrinitybuffalo.org.