The Great Canadian churches thread

[Arrdeeharharharbour]

20211111_151550_HDR by AJ Forsythe, on Flickr

20211111_151626_HDR by AJ Forsythe, on Flickr

Talk of churchs not having enough money made me think of this church on Robie St. north in Halifax. It is just a block or so away from me so I walked up and took these pics a few minuets ago. I know nothing about the church but had noticed in the past that they seem to be renting out their steeple space to a cell service of some sort. Great idea me thinks.

[megadude]

Whoa. Maybe they can get closer to God with that powerful cell signal.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by megadude

Whoa. Maybe they can get closer to God with that powerful cell signal.

Great idea, both functional and symbolic, the original function of the tower as a beacon and broadcaster is not lost. Modern churches are thought of less as holy edifices for glorification and more as temporal warehouses for the spirit.

[ssiguy]

With quickly declining attendance it really makes you wonder how these churches manage to hang on.

[megadude]

When I saw the pic I immediately thought what a weird and out of place design for that component. Then I read the paragraph below. That is kind of cool.

[esquire]

Originally Posted by ssiguy

With quickly declining attendance it really makes you wonder how these churches manage to hang on.

For the older ones that were paid off long ago, the operating costs are fairly low. So even the denominations that have been hit the hardest by declining attendance - mainstream Protestant, for the most part - can still bring in enough money to keep going. All you really need are a couple generous benefactors to pay the bills.

Where it gets tricky is when capital upgrades are necessary. The bigger the building, the more daunting the proposition. I think that ends up being the undoing of quite a few churches.

[FarmerHaight]

The Church of Saint John the Evangelist; Saskatoon, SK; built 1912 to 1917.
image from Google Maps

Knox United Church; Saskatoon, SK; built 1912 to 1914.
image from Tourism Saskatoon

Third Avenue United Church (now St. Vincent's Orthodox); Saskatoon, SK; built 1910 to 1913.
image from CKOM

Grace Westminster United Church; Saskatoon, SK; built 1928 (tower added in 1949).
image from gpsmycity

St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Parish; Saskatoon, SK; built 1928.
image from Canada 247

St. Paul's Roman Catholic Cathedral; Saskatoon, SK; built 1911.
image from Wikipedia

Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of St. George; Saskatoon, SK; built 1923.
image from Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Saskatoon

Cathedral of the Holy Family; Saskatoon, SK; built 2011.
image from Catholic Register

[Binour]

Former Saint-Jean-de-la-Croix church in Montréal (Petite Italie neighborhood), transformed into condos a couple of decades ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASvVPVyZUpY

[Binour]

2 videos.
First: the church of Sainte-Thècle (Mauricie region in Québec)
Second: the landscape where its stands.
It really worth it.

Happy new year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7aFTNG0cok

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPlRqpvCpVo

[Binour]

Berthierville, QC

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y27FKEKIAU

[JHikka]

United Church to transform its properties into rental apartments
Alex Bozikovic
May 2, 2022

The line for the food bank stretched out for half a block in downtown Toronto. Scores of people stood patiently along the sandstone façade of St. Luke’s United Church, all waiting for their chance to be served. Across the street stood half a dozen people who are planning to redevelop the church.

But even with the redevelopment, the food bank won’t be going anywhere, said Tim Blair, chief executive officer of Kindred Works, a real estate company associated with the United Church of Canada. “We are going to create an ecosystem in which this place is serving many people.”

Kindred Works has a goal to transform the church’s properties across Canada. This includes renewing church facilities and housing 34,000 people over the next 15 years in new rental apartments. One-third of these will be below-market rentals, with financing from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. KPMB Architects are the lead designers for all of these projects.

Kindred Works now has eight projects – which will include 600 homes – in the planning process: four in Toronto; one in Saint John; and one each in Ottawa, St. Catharines and Orillia, Ont. By the end of the year, Mr. Blair says, this will expand to 20 projects and 1,500 homes.

This is the most wide-reaching solution yet to a growing challenge of finding uses for old churches. Canada has about 28,000 churches, a large number of which are underused and in danger of closing. Many individual congregations have sold all or part of their facilities to fund repairs and operations. One non-profit, the Trinity Centres Foundation, has a goal of preserving and repurposing churches of all denominations.

But Kindred Works aims to do such work on a unprecedented scale. “We are trying to pioneer an approach to property development that creates social, economic and sustainability benefits for everyone,” Mr. Blair said. He started working with the United Church in 2020 after years in real estate banking and private equity.


St. Luke's United, Toronto

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-united-church-to-transform-its-properties/

[MolsonExport]

Nice videos, Binour

[J.OT13]

Originally Posted by JHikka

United Church to transform its properties into rental apartments
Alex Bozikovic
May 2, 2022

The line for the food bank stretched out for half a block in downtown Toronto. Scores of people stood patiently along the sandstone façade of St. Luke’s United Church, all waiting for their chance to be served. Across the street stood half a dozen people who are planning to redevelop the church.

But even with the redevelopment, the food bank won’t be going anywhere, said Tim Blair, chief executive officer of Kindred Works, a real estate company associated with the United Church of Canada. “We are going to create an ecosystem in which this place is serving many people.”

Kindred Works has a goal to transform the church’s properties across Canada. This includes renewing church facilities and housing 34,000 people over the next 15 years in new rental apartments. One-third of these will be below-market rentals, with financing from Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. KPMB Architects are the lead designers for all of these projects.

Kindred Works now has eight projects – which will include 600 homes – in the planning process: four in Toronto; one in Saint John; and one each in Ottawa, St. Catharines and Orillia, Ont. By the end of the year, Mr. Blair says, this will expand to 20 projects and 1,500 homes.

This is the most wide-reaching solution yet to a growing challenge of finding uses for old churches. Canada has about 28,000 churches, a large number of which are underused and in danger of closing. Many individual congregations have sold all or part of their facilities to fund repairs and operations. One non-profit, the Trinity Centres Foundation, has a goal of preserving and repurposing churches of all denominations.

But Kindred Works aims to do such work on a unprecedented scale. “We are trying to pioneer an approach to property development that creates social, economic and sustainability benefits for everyone,” Mr. Blair said. He started working with the United Church in 2020 after years in real estate banking and private equity.


St. Luke's United, Toronto

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-united-church-to-transform-its-properties/

Beauty!

[MonctonRad]

A little off topic perhaps, but the main Sikh temple for all of Atlantic Canada is currently under construction just outside of Shediac NB (of all places). In any event, they held a religious parade down Main Street in Shediac on the weekend.

[someone123]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

A little off topic perhaps, but the main Sikh temple for all of Atlantic Canada is currently under construction just outside of Shediac NB (of all places). In any event, they held a religious parade down Main Street in Shediac on the weekend.

Apparently it's the first one in NB and PEI doesn't have one. There's been one in Halifax since the 70's. Not sure about NL.

[Binour]

Boucherville, an old city now part of the Montreal suburbs, on the south shore of the Saint-Laurent . The church in the first video, the landscape around in the second.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz1aoT2BAX0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEVVj2Y5umg

[Binour]

Fortierville church, somewhere between Montreal and Quebec. Another village and another church. But a unique building, in a small village. (sadly, this is where the tragedy of «Aurore l'enfant martyre» took place, hence the references to it at the beginning of the video). Enjoy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KoH-tiqFZ2k

[O-tacular]

Originally Posted by Binour

Boucherville, an old city now part of the Montreal suburbs, on the south shore of the Saint-Laurent . The church in the first video, the landscape around in the second.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qz1aoT2BAX0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEVVj2Y5umg

Je connais tres bien cette eglise.

[Binour]

Cathédrale Marie-Reine-du-Monde, Montréal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-M74q8mrME

[megadude]

Hindu temple in Mississauga.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsiPHpzYp-I