600 Doat Street
Buffalo, NY 14211-2602
(716) 892-4141
History of the Convent
In 1893, the Felician Sisters purchased a 6-acre site in Cheektowaga, a suburb of Buffalo. Over the next 20 years, as more young women joined the community, the property became too small to accommodate them. In 1921, the sisters purchased a new site on the outskirts of Buffalo. By 1929, they dedicated the new chapel, motherhouse and academy. The 80,000 square foot Immaculate Heart of Mary Convent consists of two broad rectangular buildings, each with an inner courtyard, and a central church with a choir, all constructed of red brick in Gothic Revival style. Built according to plans brought from Poland, the convent was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. The original school, Villa Maria Academy, closed in 2006 and was repurposed in 2023 as Angela’s House, providing affordable housing for seniors.
