The First Presbyterian
Church Houses of Worship
When, as it was founded, “The
First Presbyterian and Congregationalist Society of the town of Buffalo” was formed
February 2nd, 1812, however this small group of pioneers could not afford
a building of its own. Thus, services
were held in various locations around town such as the Old Court House which was situated on the site now
occupied by the Public Library, or at other times services were held in either a schoolroom on Pearl St. near
Swan, or at the home of Mrs. Esther Pratt, whose home was on the southwest
corner of Main and Exchange St. (then called Crow St.) After the War of 1812, public worship was
resumed as the work of reconstruction began. The faithful met in Landon's
Tavern, or at the unfinished home of
Deacon Amos Callender, on the east side of Pearl Street (south
of Swan).
This first church building, only forty by fifty feet in size, it was a wooden
building constructed per a contract with Mr. John Stacy, a church member. Authorized on December 24th, 1822;
and built on land donated by Joseph Ellicott of the Holland Land Company on
December 12th, 1820; the total cost of construction was $874, Mr.
Stacy, however, deducted the cost of a pew for his own use. Thus, money raised from pew sales totaled
$100 in excess over the cost of construction. This humble edifice, located on
the northwest parcel of land at Main, Church
& Niagara Streets was completed in May of 1824. The front of the building
faced east, it had two doors in the front with the pulpit standing between
those doors. Inside, the pews were
square and were lit by candles supplied by the worshipers in the evening.
With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825, and the powerful sermons preached by
Rev. Gilbert Crawford, the church and city experienced a rapid growth in
population which was mirrored by attendance growth in worship. With membership
increasing from pre-Canal numbers of 120 to 203 after its opening, the church
quickly outgrew this building and plans were obtained for a larger building.
The wooden frame structure
was sold to the Methodists in 1828, which moved it to the corner of Pearl and Niagara Streets;
they had been using an even smaller building. Later, this original First Church
building was sold around 1835 to a German Evangelical St. Peter's society congregation,
who in turn moved it to their lot on the corner of Genesee
and Hickory Streets before it finally ended up being moved to Walnut St around
1878. This little building saw successive
service thereafter as a school-house, a tenement and as a cooper’s shop, before
it finally fell completely from grace to become an icehouse for a brewery. It
was destroyed by fire in 1882; no photographs of this structure are known to
exist.
The Brick Church
also known as “Old First” Church
The Brick Church, dedicated in March 1827, with a seating of
approximately 800, was at the time of its dedication, the largest church building west of the Genesee River. An imposing, square red structure,
trimmed in immaculate white, with a balustrade around the roof and a clock and bell tower
surmounted
by a golden ball that blazed in the sunlight, it served as a landmark for mariners on Lake Erie. Early church members, Foster Young broke
ground for the building with an oxen drawn plow starting at Main Street and working his way towards Pearl Street. Theodore Coburn furnished the mason work which began June 23rd, 1826
and was completed by September 22nd before the inclement weather set
in, thus, work could continue undisturbed inside during the winter months. Henry Brayman
provided the wood work; the total price for the construction was $17,500.00.
On
the day of the buildings dedication, the dedication day service, which was
three hours in length, was led by Dr. Rev. Gilbert Crawford, assisted by former
pastor Dr. Rev. Miles P. Squire, who traveled from his home in Geneva, NY
to attend the event, both offered prayers. The dedication sermon was preached
by Rev. Ansel D. Eddy, the text from Luke 10:20. The choir, believed to have been led by
William Ketchum, sang “I Was Glad” and “Lord, From Thine
Inmost Glory, Send”[i] During
those early years, pews were “sold” to families or individuals subject to a
pew tax of seven per cent, of the original valuation. The pew rental rate was
increased several times during the years until it reached seventy-five per
cent.
The 50th
Anniversary of the church was a celebrated event where the longest surviving
church member, Dr. Bristol, (although not the oldest member of the church)
addressed the congregation during the service; Dr. Bristol was also a member of
session at that time. Prayers were led
by Dr. Steilman of Dunkirk and Rev. Dr. Walter Clarke. Letters
were read from former pastors Dr. Squier and Dr. Thompson who were unable to
attend in person. The choir sang “Every
Star-Thirty-Four” with music by the organist, Mr. Degenhard.
The building exterior was in later years painted a warm grey as shown
in existing photographs. This was performed during an ambitious remodeling of
the building between June through August of 1870 where the original high pulpit
was cut down and in its place, a platform added three feet high, twenty feet
wide and between eight to ten feet deep.
This platform was supported by two Corinthian columns.
Matching curving banistered stairways were also added
on each side at that time that led to the pulpit backed
by a crimson curtain. All pews were
lowered by three inches, black walnut railings added and the pew seats were
upholstered in a crimson color. The ceiling was in a fresco painted by Sig. Garibolda. Anyone entering the church came through
one of three great doors opening into the spacious vestibule, and visitors walked up the circular stairways at either end to the balcony around three sides
of the high, square sanctuary. Such heat
as there was came from wood stoves; the
building was illuminated by oil lamps.
Foot-warmers containing hot coals were
indispensable for comfort during
winter months. One such coal foot warmer that was used can be viewed in the
Historical Hall.
The church bell, known as the "town
clock bell," weighed approximately 2500 pounds and had a clear, sonorous
tone that could be heard great distances. The bell served not only the
congregation, but the whole town as its fire alarm, it
was while sounding an alarm of fire in 1833, in this capacity that the bell
cracked. However, it was soon recast and
continued to serve in that capacity until 1891. The bell was presented to a
church in Tonawanda
and the front clock face was preserved before the property was sold to the
Buffalo Savings Bank.
The
congregation experienced tremendous growth during these early years, especially
during the leadership of its first five pastors; it was in 1852 during the
pastorate of Dr. Matthew La Rue Thompson that congregation first considered
moving to a new location. Funding was obtained through a subscription project
and by January 1854 over $100,000.00 was raised, by April plans for a new
building were selected and bids were advertised. However, no responsible architect
or builder was found that would undertake the project, so the plan was
abandoned and the funds were returned to the subscribers.
By the mid-19th century music played an
increasing role in many churches and the decision was made to install an organ
in the church, this was done in 1860, but not without some controversy among
the congregation, many who still held the puritan belief that organs were tools
of the devil and had no place in a church building. Up until that time, the congregation was traditionally
accompanied by a trio of musicians playing bass viol, violoncello and flute. The
new organ was built by Garrett House of Buffalo
and dedicated August 26, 1860. Mr.
Sykes, the organist at Central Presbyterian Church, played for the opening anthem,
“Praise the Lord” and to close the service, “Old Hundred”. When in 1891 after the congregation moved to
its present location, the organ was sold and the same builder relocated it to
St. Stephen's (Shrine of Saint Jude) Roman Catholic Church at 193 Elk St. in 1891. This organ, the oldest Buffalo-made pipe
organ extant, is still in service today. A wooden model of this organ stands in
the Historical Hall near the Wadsworth
Street entrance.
During the pastorate of Dr. David R. Frazer a proposal to
sell the church building and to unite with Calvary Church
on Delaware Avenue
opposite Tracy Street
was considered in 1879, but after some debate, that proposal was rejected. However, by the time that Rev. Samuel S.
Mitchell, D.D. began his tenure as pastor, many members had moved from the
central part of the city and had thus transferred their membership to other
churches which became a cause of real concern.
“Old First” Church was by now showing its
age, the building, still beautiful and impressive, was now almost
sixty-years-old; its many limitations and design problems were soon brought to
light. It was deficient of a proper lecture room, Sunday-school
room, Bible class rooms and parlors. The ventilation of the Sunday-school room
was considered defective, and it was subject
to dampness. The main audience room opened on Main Street and not on Church Street, which was a complaint of
many in the congregation. In summer the windows had to be opened for ventilation, as the ventilator in the ceiling was
inadequate, and when the windows were opened the congregation was to some
extent disturbed by increasing noises from the passage of street cars, carts,
beer wagons and so on. At the time of the construction, most of the church
members resided near the church however as the city expanded, a large number of
members had moved uptown, many of these families who formerly worshiped soon joined congregations closer to their
homes, leaving Old First Church
without proper financial support.
Dr. Mitchell wisely
shared the view of his predecessor,
in that the church should seek a location
not so hemmed in by ever-growing businesses that had taken over the area. The trustees felt likewise; but still, many
members of the congregation did not agree. The dispute was taken to Presbytery; eventually the matter was
taken to court, and soon news of the
discernment broke out in the newspapers. The matter was finally resolved, in favor
of removal to a new location. In 1887, Mrs. Trueman G. Avery who lived at the
site now occupied by Kleinhans Music Hall
donated a parcel of land across the circle at the corner of Wadsworth and Pennsylvania Streets in memory of her parents,
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen G. Austin. The
matter now settled; the days of historic “Old First” were now numbered. By April 1889 the congregation was ordered by
the city to sell the property to Erie County Saving Bank and it was announced
in July 1890 that the Old
First Church
would soon be demolished.
Continued at this link: First
Presbyterian Church at Symphony Circle