In June 1930, the Bishop of Buffalo, the Rev. William Turner, dedicated the new building, and the cornerstone was laid. The school moved, complete with its students, faculty, Sisters, and boarders, from the City of Buffalo to 3860 Main St., Eggertsville, NY on May 11, 1930. In 1937, Sister Paula Tierney passed away after leading the Academy for 34 years. She was succeeded as principal by Sister M. Theophane Wagner, a SHA member of the Class of 1915. The school focused on increasing academic rigor and achieving student excellence. New one-piece tan gym uniforms were adopted in 1933. There was increased enrollment, and graduates received numerous scholarships to attend college.
On July 1, 1932, as the city celebrated its centennial, the newly completed City Hall opened its doors. In an effort to combat the effects of the Great Depression, Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal brought much-needed relief money to the city. Millions of dollars were spent to create a new sewer system, build the Memorial Auditorium (the Aud), War Memorial Stadium, renovate the zoo and airport, build Kleinhans Music Hall and establish the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. The Grand Island Bridges opened in 1935, connecting Grand Island to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. Buffalo native Harold Arlen, famous for his songwriting, won an Academy Award for “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz. As war broke out in Europe, Buffalo’s industrial sector was busier than ever making steel for the European war effort.
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