File:Kenmore Baptist Church (1961 addition), Kenmore, New York - 20221206.jpg

English: As seen in December 2022 from across Wardman Road in the parking lot of the 1 Delaware Apartments: the sanctuary of Kenmore Baptist Church in Kenmore, New York, built in 1961 as an east wing of the original 1917 church building on Delaware Road. The Buffalo-based architectural firm of Shelgren, Whitman and Associates furnish here a design that, though thoroughly Modernist, enjoyed success in "blend[ing] into the architecture of the older sections of the building" as noted by commentators of the era: to the template of sleek straight lines, smooth surfaces, and limited ornament are appended harmonious references to the Gothic aesthetic, above all the pointed arches that crown the large narrow windows facing Wardman Road. These arches in turn are echoed in the openwork belfry of the tower, which stands about 100 feet above street level and is crowned by a 15-foot iron cross. Dedicated as part of Kenmore Baptist's 50th anniversary observances, this was the largest of three additions appended to the church over the course of its history in tune with the steady growth of its congregation: in 1925 the original sanctuary had been extended to the rear at a cost of $50,000, and then in 1954 four nearby houses were purchased by the church for office and storage space. The gala dedication ceremonies, which came after fourteen months of construction, included speeches by Dr. Gene E. Bartlett, then-president of Colgate Rochester Divinity School; the Rev. Carl G. Steward, head of evangelism at the New York State Baptist Convention, and the pastors of various prominent Baptist congregations from throughout the region.