Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News,A 140-year-old Catholic church in Buffalo has been deliberately set on fire for the second time in four days, the third blaze to hit the site this year. Investigators confirmed arson. The property was sold years earlier by the Diocese of Buffalo to a company affiliated with the Downtown Islamic Center, which planned to turn the historic complex into a mosque.Christian heritage keeps vanishing while officials scramble over "securing" the site they already allowed to fall into the wrong hands.The former St. Ann's Church and Shrine at 651 Broadway, built in 1886, suffered a fire around 5:45pm on Tuesday, July 21. Buffalo Fire Department crews contained it. Officials ruled the cause arson. It came just four days after a three-alarm blaze on Friday, July 17, that began in the rear of the structure.In January, a four-alarm fire had already gutted the adjacent former school building, causing an estimated $600,000 in damage.Here we go again...a 140-year-old church in Buffalo, New York has been torched twice in 4 days by arson. It's almost like they're erasing Christian culture, one historic flame at a time... pic.twitter.com/Y1QIadijvZ
— Liz Churchill (@liz_churchill10) July 23, 2026The central fact is straightforward. In November 2022 the Diocese of Buffalo sold the entire complex - church, school, and convent - for $250,000 to Buffalo Crescent Holdings, Inc. The buyer is affiliated with the Downtown Islamic Center.The stated plan was to convert the property into a downtown Islamic center. The building had stood vacant and deteriorating for years after parish activities ended in 2013. Investigations continue. At this time, no public link to the owners has been reported.The former St. Ann's Church complex (651 Broadway, Buffalo) was sold in Nov 2022 by the Diocese of Buffalo to Buffalo Crescent Holdings, Inc. for $250,000. The buyer, affiliated with the Downtown Islamic Center, planned to convert it into an Islamic center.
