History
Grace Church was organized in the Village of Black Rock in 1825. Saint
John's was founded in
1845 in the City of Buffalo.
Saint John's Church
Saint John's has a colorful history. It is
said to have started because there were no more pews to rent at Saint
Paul's or Trinity, the only Episcopal parishes in the city of Buffalo at
that time. Saint John's first building was at a Swan Street site in
downtown Buffalo. That site was later to become the location of the
Hotel Buffalo. Most recently it is the site of Dunn Tire Park, the
professional baseball stadium.
On the Fourth of July 1868 a rocket from
fireworks set the church building on fire. The fire destroyed all but
the walls of the church. Should the congregation rebuild the church or
should they move to a more uptown location? Trinity and St. Paul's were
within an easy walk of Saint John's. The congregation split. The
downtown faction rebuilt the Swan Street building. The uptown faction
took the insurance money and formed a new parish, Christ Church, at
Delaware and Tupper. The uptown movement caught on. In 1883 Trinity Church
moved uptown and merged with ChristChurch. The current chapel at Trinity
is the former Christ Church building.
In 1893 St. John's decided to move farther
uptown. The Colonial Circle location was chosen after dismissing the
site, once owned by St. John's, at Symphony Circle, the current location
of First Presbyterian Church.
The new church soon proved too small and an addition, increasing the
size of the sanctuary, was built in 1909; another addition was constructed
in 1920 to enlarge the parish hall facilities. Finally, in 1925 the
building of the current sanctuary commenced and it was completed and put
to use in 1927.
Grace Church
Grace Church began in 1825 in the Village of
Black Rock. At this early point the congregation worshiped in a building
shared with the Presbyterians on Breckenridge Street (that building is
still standing). In about 1859 the people of Grace built their own
church (now demolished) on Penfield and Niagara, and then constructed a
parish hall (1911) and a church (1917) on Lafayette and Congress. Over
this period Buffalo grew to include the Village of Black Rock, in part the
result of the decision to make Buffalo, rather than Black Rock, the
western terminus of the Erie Canal.
The Reverend John C. Ward, the rector at Grace Church from 1902 to
1921, was elected Bishop of Erie, Pennsylvania in 1921 and was consecrated
at Grace Church on September 22, 1921. The chapel off the parish hall at
Saint John's-Grace is furnished with items from Grace Church on
Penfield Street, and it is called the Bishop Ward Chapel in memory of
him.
Saint John's-Grace
During the
period of suburban expansion Grace and Saint John's suffered diminishing
membership as a result of migration out of the city. The new residents
of the neighborhood were less likely to identify with the Episcopal
Church. In 1971 Saint John's and Grace agreed to merge and use the St.
John's buildings for the newly merged parish. The marriage included
people and financial assets which strengthened the merged congregation.
The merger was not easy at first, but over time the parish began
to grow and develop into the open and welcoming congregation it is
today. The diversity of
membership has become a strength as
people from all walks of life can find welcome here.
Resources: Saint John's Church 1845 to 1945 by the Reverend Walter Russell Lord
The First Centenary of Grace Episcopal Church
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