Upon transforming a defunct OB/GYN clinic building at 1296 Delaware Avenue (designed by EB Green for the president of the Jewish Federation at University at Buffalo) into The Edward Hotel, Noel Sutton began to take a closer look at additional opportunities along Delaware Avenue. He was transfixed by the history of Millionaire’s Row, but he was just as fascinated with some of the periphery buildings such as Delaware Avenue Baptist Church, located at 965 Delaware Avenue (featured on BR in 2017, for sale).
The problem with the 27,000+ SF church, designed by John H. Coxhead, was that, at one point in time, the congregation inopportunely released part of its property (the rear parking lot), which was deeded to the Baptist Manor Apartments – a neighboring property. Without a parking lot, the historic building became an unviable entity for the congregation, as well as for potential buyers. Therefore, the property sat unsold, leaving any interested parties scratching their heads as to what to do with it.
To that end, Sutton told me that he figured that the best way to get to know the history of the church, and its current plight, was to start to attend the weekly sermons. Throughout the summer, he has been sitting in on weekly services, while in discussions with senior pastor Michael J. Robinson. Pastor Robinson was the one who told Sutton about the heartache that the lack of a parking lot has presented. He also relayed that the church had become unwieldly to care for, despite putting a new roof on it a few years back.
Aside from preserving the architectural legacy of the building, one of Sutton’s concepts for the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church is to add a commercial kitchen that would provide the necessary culinary amenities for weddings, concerts, and other events. That’s really the only way to ensure its viability.
“You might say that this church has become a poster child for the city of Buffalo for preservation projects,” said Sutton. “I have put an offer in to purchase the church, while keeping the chapel – considered one of the most beautiful sanctuaries in the city – intact. I am working to help find the congregation a new permanent home that will be much less cumbersome to maintain. The only way that I can make this project work is to build underground parking for the 16 apartments that I plan on creating. Each of the apartments would be designed utilizing the existing footprint of the building, which would retain the integrity of the historic structure. The congregation has been trying to sell the church for 5 years now. Pastor Robinson’s goal has been to preserve and save the building – I give him all of the credit in the world.
“Now, he’s found someone to carry the torch – someone that has a shared vision for the building. It’s the same vision that I had for The Edward Hotel, and the same vision that I have for the site of the demolished Metcalfe House, which should be annexed by the homes along Mayfair Lane (thus preserving the gardens and memorial grounds) as part of my bid for the Williams-Butler House (the Butler Mansion). Unfortunately, as we have seen so many times, politics gets in the way. That’s how we lost the Metcalfe House to begin with, and how the congregation lost its parking lot, and how we’re losing the Great Northern, right before our eyes. This city needs more people to step up and take on these types of projects. There needs to be more creative thinking and planning. UB has always been a terrific caretaker of the Metcalfe and has lived up to the very high standards originally set by the Jacobs 50 years ago. The Mayfair Lane community has been so blessed to enjoy this level of care, for nearly half a century, due to this fine stewardship.”
Sutton added, “The projects that I am embarking upon add to the viability of Millionaire’s Row, which should be considered one of Buffalo’s richest destinations, right up there with The Martin House and The Richardson-Olmsted Campus. The millionaires are gone, but their built legacy remains. To illustrate the importance of preserving EB Green’s world class Mayfair Lane and its relationship with the Metcalfe, I have submitted an offer of $10,000,000 to UB for consideration.”
As for the Delaware Avenue Baptist Church, I spoke to Pastor Robinson about the future of his congregation, and he was upbeat about the pending sale to Sutton.
“I came to the congregation 15 years ago,” said Pastor Robinson. “When I got here the specialty floor covering with hand-hewn seams was around 50 years old. I know, because I was a floor specialist. Nothing had been updated in years, and the church needed a new roof. The previous pastor patched the roof, but it had started leaking, and was affecting the interior walls. We held on as best we could. It came to a point 5 years ago when we decided to sell the building. With no elevator and no parking, the congregation – many who are older – could only use half of the building.”
Pastor Robinson told me that the dream to keep the church alive began to fade in the 60’s when the resident pastor (at the time) wanted to grow the church by expanding the Fellowship Hall.
“It didn’t happen, and he left,” said Pastor Robinson. “The Baptist Manor Apartments were put up instead, which was all part of the church at that point. But then, when the Manor was sold, the parking lot went with it. That sealed the fate of the church. As a man of faith, I know that the Lord opens a door, and we go through it. We had ten major construction groups come through the church, but parking was always an issue. We needed a unique buyer. Noel was that person. He loved the challenge. I discussed it with the congregation, and I’m onboard to help him as much as I can.”
At this time, the Pastor has an eye on a couple of locations that he feels might suit his congregation of 150 people. That said, he’s open to suggestions… With their finances tied up in the building, they knew that they needed to strike a deal, in order to get the ball rolling on another location. That deal has now been struck, and the paperwork is being finessed.
“After the deal is done, we will be looking more intently for a building around 11,000 SF, with a sanctuary, fellowship hall, offices, and classrooms – one floor… or a couple floors with an elevator,” said Pastor Robinson. “We hope to find a suitable space by the end of the year, Lord willing, so we can move in by early spring. Our multi-ethnic church is 128 years old. When we decided to sell this original location, it was a big deal. We realized that the building would be difficult to sell – it’s been a faith walk, as we knew that we could no longer maintain it. Now, we are looking forward to the challenges ahead.”