About The Sacred Site
216 Beard Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14214
Website: https://www.centralparkcomplex.com/
Date of Construction: 1923
Style: Charles W. Bolton & Son
Architect / Builder: English Gothic
Activities
Central Park United Methodist Church, dedicated in 1923, was designed to evoke the spirit of English parish churches of the 15th Century which were regarded as centers of community life. Seating 1,300 parishioners, the church occupied land donated by Lewis J. Bennett as part of his vision for the planned Central Park neighborhood. Constructed of limestone from both local and Indiana-based quarries, the building features a tower placed at the church crossing which allowed the building to fit the scale of the neighborhood. Large buttresses, elaborate arcade and clerestory windows, compound pointed arches, and detailed ornamentation provide excellent examples of the classic Gothic style. Exquisite Grisaille art glass windows and a 70 stop electric organ built by the Skinner Organ Company of Boston are other notable features of the church.
The tour includes a brief history of Bennett’s vision for Central Park, background on the history of Methodism, and a timeline of the important role that the church has played in the life of the North Buffalo community. This tour is approximately one hour in length. The tour meets inside the Wesley Avenue entrance. Pre-registration is required for this tour, please use the link in the upper left of this webpage to register.