St. Anthony of Padua RC Church (original) (raw)

St. Anthony of Padua RC Church 160 Court St. at S. Elmwood, Buffalo, NY

St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church was founded in 1891 by Father Antonio Gibelli of the Missionary Fathers of St. Charles Borromeo to provide for the religious well being of the large number of Italians immigrants settling in Buffalo, NY during the 19th century. The parish quickly became the social center the of the city's 20,000 plus Italian population. Within a year, Gibelli had established the first Italian language school in the United States.
The original two-storey building housed, on the ground floor, the first Italian Catholic bilingual school in the United States, while the worship area was on the upper floor.The church was renovated in 1904 when the sanctuary was extended and niches to patron saints were added. The plaster ceiling with recessed caissons and rosette is the work of Cesare Antozzi. The original domed steeple on the crest of the facade was replaced in 1904 by the present tower with a clock and a bell named after St. Joseph, both donated by Alfonso Bellanca, a pioneer in the Italian community.The mechanical pipe organ, built in 1889 by the Hook and Hastings Co. of Boston, MA and formerly in the Plymouth Baptist Church, Buffalo, was installed in 1911.

St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church was founded in 1891 by Father Antonio Gibelli of the Missionary Fathers of St. Charles Borromeo to provide for the religious well being of the large number of Italians immigrants settling in Buffalo, NY during the 19th century. The parish quickly became the social center the of the city's 20,000 plus Italian population. Within a year, Gibelli had established the first Italian language school in the United States.

The original two-storey building housed, on the ground floor, the first Italian Catholic bilingual school in the United States, while the worship area was on the upper floor.The church was renovated in 1904 when the sanctuary was extended and niches to patron saints were added. The plaster ceiling with recessed caissons and rosette is the work of Cesare Antozzi. The original domed steeple on the crest of the facade was replaced in 1904 by the present tower with a clock and a bell named after St. Joseph, both donated by Alfonso Bellanca, a pioneer in the Italian community.The mechanical pipe organ, built in 1889 by the Hook and Hastings Co. of Boston, MA and formerly in the Plymouth Baptist Church, Buffalo, was installed in 1911.