Suncliff - Table of Contents

Schmidt Summer Home / St. Columban Center / Suncliff on the Lake
6892 Lakeshore Road, Derby, NY

On this page, below:

Barbara O'Brien,  "For Sale: Lakefront Mansion with 60 Bedrooms, 13 Baths"

"Diocese Sells Derby Retreat Center for $1.4 Million"


"For Sale: Lakefront Mansion with 60 Bedrooms, 13 Baths"
By Barbara O'Brien
March 10, 2017  Buffalo News
Partial reprint. (Online May 2018)

When realtors tried to enter details about the St. Columban Center into the Multiple Listing Service, the computer program wouldn't accept it.

Apparently 60 bedrooms and 13 baths are not the norm for a single-family house.

The possibilities are endless for the vast Greek Gothic mansion that the Catholic Diocese of Buffalo is trying to sell on 15 acres on Lake Erie in the Town of Evans. It could be a home, inn, bed and breakfast, destination boutique wedding center, conference center or boarding school, to name a few.

And the price has just been reduced from $1.9 million to $1.595 million.

The 27,000-square-foot mansion has two dining rooms, a large kitchen, conference rooms, libraries, a chapel and an elevator.

The three-story mansion at 6892 Lake Shore Road, about 18 miles south of downtown Buffalo, was known as Suncliff when it was built in 1924 as a summer home for Buffalo businessman Hans Schmidt and his family. Schmidt was the owner of Schoellkopf & Co., a large tannery.

Schmidt was known as a leading tanner of sheep leather, according to "Successful American." Born in Germany, he came to Buffalo shortly after finishing college in 1882 and began working for Jacob Schoellkopf. He married Schoellkopf's daughter, Helen, in 1893, and they had three children. Schmidt eventually came into ownership of the business after Jacob Schoellkopf died. He belonged to the Buffalo Club, Ellicott Club and several German societies, according to "Successful American."

The Columban Laymen's League purchased the property in 1947 for $50,000 from Mr. and Mrs. Joseph G. Fischer, according to a history of the retreat house posted on a wall of the center. The Columban Fathers, who ran a seminary in Silver Creek, initially staffed the retreat center before it was turned over to the diocese. The first retreat director, the Rev. John P. O'Brien, and another priest were buried on the grounds near the large crucifix, but they were reinterred at the St. Columban’s retirement home in Silver Creek about 10 years ago.

The diocese put the 15-acre property up for sale last spring, after deciding the retreats that were held there could be conducted through Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora. Priced at $1.9 million, the property did not sell and the price recently was reduced.

The original 17,000-square-foot mansion, built in 1924, had 14 bedrooms on its second and third floors, six fireplaces, six boilers and two garages holding a total of five cars. A stately promenade lined with trees connects the house to the 550 feet of lake frontage. There are steps to the beach. The 10,000-square-foot two-story addition, built in 1959, has an additional 46 small bedrooms.

The facility, which has beds in every bedroom and chairs and tables in the dining rooms, is still being used for events until it is sold, according to the diocese. Furnishings in the grand rooms on the first floor are sparse, with several religious statues remaining in the room that was used as a chapel.

It is a unique parcel with lots of amenities.

"Diocese Sells Derby Retreat Center for $1.4 Million"
November 3, 2017  Buffalo News
Partial reprint. (Online May 2018)


The Diocese of Buffalo has closed on an agreement with two investors who have purchased the former St. Columban Center for $1.4 million. The property had been for sale since May 2016.

“I saw this come up for sale and I was so surprised,” said Dr. David Johnson, who has been a family practitioner in Kenmore for the past 32 years. He first saw the St. Columban Center in 2011 while he was playing there in a band. Now, he has a vison of turning it into a year-round lodging and wedding venue which also would offer creative learning workshops for music and art.

“We would have a boatbuilding workshop and creative writing,” Johnson said. “Our plan is to do lodging first and we also hope to have a restaurant in there.”

Johnson’s business partner in purchasing the St. Columban Center is Brenda Shaw, who, along with her husband Ronald, lost their son, Sgt. Daniel J. Shaw. He was killed in action on Nov. 5, 2007, while serving in the U.S. Army during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“We’d like to reach out to veterans and their families, possibly offering programs to those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, or to Gold Star families who lost a loved one,” said Mrs. Shaw.

Bishop Richard J. Malone, bishop of Buffalo, approved the decision to sell the property which is located along the shores of Lake Erie in the town of Evans.

Located on Lake Shore Road, the Columban Center had been the diocesan retreat center for decades, hosting individual and directed retreats and other events for thousands, young and old. Future retreat services will now be incorporated into Christ the King Seminary in East Aurora.

At nearly 27,000 square feet, the Georgian mansion was known as Suncliff Manor. It was built in 1914 as a summer residence for the Hans Schmidt Family. Schmidt was well known for his leather tanning business in Buffalo. The 15.3 acre property was purchased in 1947 by the diocese, through the support of the St. Columban Retreat League. An addition was completed in 1959.

“The way we feel about this is that it’s a sacred place,” said Johnson. “We want to leave that cross up in the garden and we want to honor the history of the place. We don’t want it to be forgotten that this was a half century of people praying and following their religious path.”

“The history is remarkable,” said Shaw. “We’re only the third owner and it’s the first time it’s going to be used for a commercial venue.”


Page by Chuck LaChiusa in 2018
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