Buffalo Common Council looks prepared to designate two Buffalo churches as local landmarks.

All Saints Roman Catholic Church on Esser Avenue and St. Michael's Church on Washington Street have been recommended to be approved as landmarks by the city's preservation board.

This is on the agenda for the council meeting beginning at 2 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo released a list of churches that would either close or merge in September. A decline in parishioner attendance, a shortage of priests, the clergy abuse scandal and a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing were all reasons cited for the closures.

The churches that close will eventually be sold. The closures are slated to take place through June 2025.