Reprinted with permission as a public service by the Landmark Society of the Niagara Frontier, now the Preservation Buffalo Niagara


Houses of Worship: A Guide to the Religious Architecture of Buffalo, New York
By James Napora
Table of Contents

The Upper West Side
MAP

In the shadows of Fort Porter and the Connecticut Street Armory resided a considerable portion of the city's Italian population. .As their numbers increased, it was only natural that their community expand laterally.

By the 1920s, they had settled north of the Little Italy area on streets which originally bordered the Village of Black Rock. They were joined by a small community of Swedish immigrants, many of whom arrived in Buffalo as a result of contacts they had with family and friends in the then established community in Jamestown, New York. By the turn of the century, they had grown in number to be able to support two congregations in the area.

The area served as a strategic point during the War of 1812. In the vicinity of Niagara and Vermont Street, on what historically was known as Prospect Hill, an important skirmish of the War of 1812 occurred. Originally occupied by a grouping of log cabins, it served as an encampment for soldiers protecting the border.

In retaliation for the burning of Newark, Ontario, present day Niagara On The Lake, the British forces crossed the Niagara River at a point between Buffalo and Black Rock. Upon landing, they proceeded up the hill and were met by Captain As a A. Stannard and a barrage of American artillery. The American forces were quickly overpowered and taken prisoner. The British then proceeded to march down Niagara Street and burn the city.


© 1995 James Napora
Page by Chuck LaChiusa with the assistance of David Torke
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