By JAMES FINK
jfink@bizjournals.com | 716-541-1611

A state grant has boosted efforts to restore the exterior of a historic Elmwood Village church.

The New York State Environmental Protection Fund allocated $200,000 to the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church to underwrite a series of renovations slated for the 114-year-old building, located at Lafayette and Elmwood avenues.

The funds will be used for roof and facade repairs, along with masonry and window restoration and protective coverings.

The work is expected to start in the spring.

Some of the funds will also be used to make the circa 1896 church handicapped-accessible.

Assemblyman Sam Hoyt, D-Buffalo, who helped secure the state grant, said the money will help to preserve a cornerstone of Elmwood Village.

"This is a building that must be preserved for its historic value, but we also must find ways to help move it into the future," Hoyt said.

The exterior work is central to a larger redevelopment of the Lafayatte church in which offices, a gym and meeting rooms will make way for 21 apartments and community space.

That project carries an $8 million development price tag.

Clinton Brown Architecture Co. of Buffalo has been retained to oversee the entire project.

The church was recently listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a prime example of late 19th century Romanesque Revival and early 20th century Tudor Revival.

In addition, the church is one of many architecturally significant venues locally that will be showcased next fall when the National Trust for Historic Preservation holds its annual meeting and convention in Buffalo.

"As someone who lives in the community that this church serves," Hoyt said, "I can say with certainty that this is not just a church; it is a meeting place and community center that does great work in the Elmwood Village."