Landmark Registry trumps automony?

Thanks to Associated Baptist Press

Preservationist cites need to protect structure
By Barbara O’Brien, The Buffalo News

Congregation members have told a Hamburg (N.Y.) village commission exactly why First Baptist Church should not be named a local landmark. The action, they said, violates their property rights and feels like government interference in running the church at 116 Main St.

But the Historic Preservation Commission has designated the building, which dates to 1836, a village landmark.

“That building is extremely important, both architecturally and from a historical [background],” said Damon Ayer, commission chairman, adding that the building, one of the oldest in the village, remains largely intact and similar to the original structure.
The designation “also provides some level of protection in the future to make sure that building remains,” Ayer said.

The state has listed buildings that might qualify for landmark designation, and the preservation commission has targeted the top five, Ayer said, including sites in the village business district and village neighborhoods. The local designation can be the first step toward state and federal designations, and structures receiving the federal designation are eligible for a number of grants, he said.

That’s strike one as far as the church is concerned. The Baptist church does not believe in taking taxpayer money, said the Rev. Kevin M. Leary, pastor of First Baptist.
“We believe in a strong separation of church and state. That’s in our history,” he said. “There’s absolutely no benefit for us.”

The designation also brings oversight by the commission, Ayer said.
“We are just concerned with the exterior of the building,” he said. “We’re not going to come in and tell you you have to paint your bathroom blue.”

But village code does allow the commission to determine the color on the exterior.


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