Group eyes local landmark status for closed Holy Family Church in Auburn

A group aiming to preserve Holy Family Church in Auburn is one step closer to securing local landmark status for the site.

The city of Auburn's Historic Resources Review Board voted Monday to schedule a public hearing on the application from the Holy Family Organization to Preserve and Endure. The hearing will be held at the board's next meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at Memorial City Hall.

The organization formed to maintain the church as a sacred space. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Rochester closed the church in June due to safety concerns and structural problems.

Andrew Roblee, founder and president of Roblee Historic Preservation, assisted the Holy Family Organization to Preserve and Endure with its application and presented his recommendation for local landmark status.

According to city code, there are five criteria for a local landmark. Roblee thinks Holy Family Church meets all five for the designation.

The first criterion is that the property "exemplifies or possesses special character, or historic or aesthetic interest of value as part of the political, economic or social development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the city, the state or the nation." Roblee noted that Holy Family, which was built in 1861, is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Auburn.

Another criterion is the site's association with "persons or events significant in the city, state or national history." Bishop Patrick James Byrne, who was raised in Auburn and attended Holy Family School, is a candidate for sainthood.

The property must also possess "distinguishing characteristics of a type, period or method of construction or design style, or is a valuable example of the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship; or is representative of the work of a designer, architect or builder." Roblee said the church is an example of Romanesque revival architecture and was built by John W. Vanderbosch, a Dutch immigrant and master builder.

The church meets the fourth criterion by "representing an established and familiar visual feature of the community by virtue of its unique location or singular physical characteristics..." The church, Roblee explained, is the only historic structure between the police station and Seymour Street that is visible from many parts of the city.

"It's part of our scenic landscape, it's part of our visual history and I think to threaten that would do a great disservice to our community because there's so much heritage focused on that point," he said.

For the last criterion — the property "has yielded or may be likely to yield information important in prehistory or history" — Roblee shared that there is an inventoried archaeological site on the Holy Family grounds. It was the location of the first public school building in the city, which was part of an archaeological survey 20 to 30 years ago, he said.

Karen Odrzywolski, president of the Holy Family Organization to Preserve and Endure, told the board that they have not received a formal response from the diocese about whether they support the local landmark application. However, local clergy and staff are supportive of preserving the church.

Before acquiring the church, Odrzywolski said the group wants to ensure it will have the necessary funds to make repairs and preserve the site.

At the time of the church's closure, it was estimated the repairs would cost $2.5 million. Holy Family Organization to Preserve and Endure is working to gather pledges for financial support. Odrzywolski acknowledged they would need ongoing donations to maintain the church.

The group plans to keep the church open as a Catholic sacred space that could be used for prayer and special events, such as baptisms, funerals and weddings. The neighboring rectory and school would not be part of the landmark, but Odrzywolski said they are working with a private developer who has ideas for reusing those buildings.

The board was receptive to the group's application. Chairman Michael Deming supports preserving the church because of its location on the north side of the city.

"I'm completely for designating this because it's our entrance," he said, adding that it would provide protection for the property.

After the board voted to schedule the public hearing, Deming told the crowd that they "reached the first step." They applauded.

The next step in the process is a public hearing followed by a formal recommendation by the board. If the board recommends Holy Family Church for local landmark status, it will be submitted to the Auburn City Council for approval.

Government reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or . Love With a weekly newsletter looking back at local history.

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