English: St. Matthias Episcopal Church, 374 Main Street at Maple Street, East Aurora, New York, December 2022. Built in 1928 to a design by the Buffalo-based architectural practice of North & Shelgren, the moderately simplified Late Gothic Revival styling of this stone church is quite typical of the firm's output at the time: the narrow, Gothic-arched window dominating the top half of the façade is echoed by the paired windows on the side elevations but contrasted by the round arch that crowns the main entrance, which in turn is flanked by stepped, gablet-topped buttresses. The spireless tower with its tall louvered window is tucked into the corner of this Tetris block-shaped building. Founded in 1869 as the Episcopal Church's first organized congregation in the village, St. Matthias rented space from the local Universalist church until the construction of their first proper home at some time in the early 1870s (a gap in parish records precludes ascertaining the exact date). From humble beginnings the parish steadily grew, but financial difficulties were a perennial struggle in roughly the first half-century of its history: the need to purchase land for (1894, on the present site) and build (1895) a second, larger church, as well as persistent needs for structural repairs on the rectory, kept the parish in debt on an almost continuous basis. Nonetheless, St. Matthias grew into an established presence in East Aurora and, with the onset of the early 20th-century Progressive movement, established a reputation as a champion of social justice: the church was on the forefront of the local scene vis-à-vis issues such as workers' rights, women's suffrage, and (more controversially) also the temperance movement. In 1917, only two years after finally retiring their debt, St. Matthias' parish vestry installed Rev. Henry de Wolf de Mauriac, formerly pastor of a congregation in New Hampshire, as their new rector and soon thereafter turned their attention to the possibility of erecting another, still larger new church. The Building Fund was officially established in 1923 when Robert B. Ward, a parishioner, donated his family home for use as a temporary rectory during the construction process, the proceeds from the later sale of which could be used to help settle building costs. After additional fundraising, the cornerstone was laid for the current building in September 1927, with dedication eight months later. Ultimately, in 2019, its distinguished architecture earned it a listing on the National Register of Historic Places.