Bishop Timon, first Bishop of the Diocese of Buffalo, laid the cornerstone of the first building of St. Bonaventure, the Monastery and Chapel, on August 20, 1856.  The building ultimately included the monastery, St. Bonaventure’s Church and the Seminary.  However, on May 5, 1930 the entire building was lost to a fire. Within a year of the fire, Hickey Memorial Dining Hall was built on the spot of the former monastery and chapel.  The statue of the Blessed Mother from the niche at the top of the chapel was placed to the right of Hickey on the site of the former Sanctuary as a remembrance of St. Bonaventure's beginning. The rear portion of Hickey is all that remains of the original structure.  It was part of the Convent for the Sisters who handled food service in those early days. 

Statue of Mary