St. Paul's Episcopal Cathedral, Buffalo New York

Date added: March 18, 2010 Categories: New York Church Gothic Revival

St. Paul's Cathedral is located near a site of a cannon mount for the defense of Buffalo during the War of 1812. The original frame church, built in 1819-21, was the first permanent church building in western New York.

St. Paul's Cathedral was constructed during the rectorship of Rev. William Shelton, As a follower of the Oxford Movement, which advocated a return to High-Church practices. Shelton perhaps influenced the selection of Upjohn as architect. Upjohn, at mid-century, was one of several architects working within the accepted mode of the Gothic Revival as prescribed by the New York Ecclesiological Society. This organization set forth architectural requirements and preferences for the construction of churches based on the English parish-church style.

It is interesting to note that St, Paul's congregation sent money to Nashota Episcopal Seminary, Nashota, Wisconsin, On that campus there is a residence known as Shelton Hall, the construction of which was paid for by Reverend Shelton and the congregation. Other contributions of this parish included memorial windows located in the seminary Chapel of St. Mary the Virgin, which was designed by Upjohn in 1859-60. In 1851-53, Upjohn also designed St. John Chrysostom's Church In Delafield, Wisconsin, the closest community to Nashota House.

Millard Fillmore's body lay in state in the Cathedral, March 12, 1874.