The Gothic Revival church, designed by prominent Buffalo architect Louis Greenstein, was built in 1922. Rev. Henry Durham began fundraising for the church in 1914, and congregants and skilled craftspeople from the community contributed their labor to its construction. Durham Memorial sits within blocks of one of the last stops on the Underground Railroad, a passageway for freedom seekers on their route to Canada, which is now part of the Michigan Street African American Heritage Corridor. Durham Memorial has a history of expansive support for its community, including administering Works Progress Administration programs during the Great Depression and wide-reaching adult education classes.

Today, the church operates numerous programs out of the adjacent Durham Memorial Outreach Center, including free meals through the Central City Cafe, a daycare, maternal community support services, and a health fair. In 2020, the church was closed and suffered significant structural damage, necessitating the use of the Outreach Center for worship. This has limited the reopening of programming in the Center. After repairs to the church are complete and the church is once again suitable for worship, the Center will focus on restarting and expanding community programs.

A National Fund grant of $75,000 with $75,000 in matching funds from the congregation will support exterior repairs and improve accessibility to the church’s primary worship and community spaces. Ultimately, the project will allow worship to resume in the church and expand community programming at the Center.

Photo by Michael Bell