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The cornerstone of the mother church of the Italian American community in Western
New York was blessed by Bishop Steven V. Ryan on August 2, 1891 and dedicated
to the Most High and Good God and to St. Anthony of Padua. Inside
the cornerstone, a time capsule was placed, containing a history of the Italian
community in Buffalo, names of contemporary religious and civic leaders, and 100
pennies. The
exterior of the building is in Romanesque style, while the interior has some baroque
reminiscence. The original two-storey building housed, on the ground floor, the
first Italian Catholic bilingual school in the United States, while the worship
area was on the upper floor. Masonry
work was carried out by E. & J. Lannen and woodwork by Charle sMetz. The simple
stained glass windows were donated by the first Italian societies and professionals
in Buffalo. T he
church was renovated in 1904 when the sanctuary was extended and niches to patron
saints were added. The plaster ceiling with recessed caissons and rosette is the
work of Cesare Antozzi. Beneath it, a painted fascia carries symbols of early
Italian religious, social and labour organizations in Buffalo. The
original domed steeple on the crest of the faŤade was replaced in 1904 by the
present tower with a clock and a bell named after St. Joseph, both donated in
1920 by Alfonso Bellanca, a pioneer in the Italian community. The
mechanical pipe organ, built in 1889 by the Hook and Hastings Co. of Boston, MA
and formerly in the Plymouth Baptist Church, Buffalo, was installed in 1911. The
church is adorned with many statues of saints, many of them artworks by recognized
Italian and American artists. | 
