Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As Preservation Buffalo Niagara continues to push for landmark status for at least five of Buffalo's churches, residents are showing their support.
Christine, a Buffalo resident explained that she's glad to see a push for this, and believes this will be a great way to preserve Buffalo's history.
"I think every one of the churches is deserving of being renovated preserved," said Christine in an interview with WBEN.
Christine says it's not anything new to see a church close their doors for the last time, and there's simple ways to give a new life to them.
"I've traveled throughout Europe extensively, and I've seen many of the churches that are there, and yes, many of them have are now vacant, but they're museums. They actually tell a statement in terms of the architecture, the stained glass windows and everything else," Christine stated. "These are beautiful edifices that need to be preserved."
Bernice Radle with Preservation Buffalo Niagara says regardless of what the community wants or if the churches receive landmark status, its ultimately up to the Diocese to determine what happens to them.
"Whether these are vacant or not, they're [Buffalo Diocese] required to maintain them by city law. It's really important to say out loud that they better have a maintenance plan as these are vacated. They can't rely on the community to shovel the snow and clean up the trash, because the community no longer is attending mass at these places," Radle stated in an interview with WBEN. "It's really important for them to have a maintenance plan. Have I heard that they have a maintenance plan? No."