Parks Canada
parkscanada.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
News Releases and Backgrounders
Backgrounder
Parks Canada’s National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program
Project Recipient: St. James United Church
National Historic Site: St. James United Church National Historic Site
Total Project Cost: minimum of $200,000
Parks Canada’s Contribution: up to $100,000
Project Description:
As part of a multi-year project, the conservation work at St. James United Church aims to preserve and stabilize the deteriorated masonry of the walls and one exterior buttress of Dawson Hall, located at the rear of the church. Since water infiltration within the stone buttress walls has erroded the mortar through to the inside causing stones to shift, work to repair and repoint the masonry is necessary to reduce the risk of stones becoming dislodged. This investment will ensure that the commemorative integrity of this important national historic site is maintained for present and future generations and will support its continued use so that it remains an integral part of the community.
St. James United Church National Historic Site
St. James United Church National Historic Site is located on St. Catherine Street West within a commercial district of downtown Montréal, Quebec. It is a large, late 19th century stone church, built in the High Victorian Gothic Revival style distinguished by two massive towers on the primary façade that border a prominent rose window set above a triple portal entrance. Official recognition refers to the church on its legal lot at 463 St. Catherine Street West.
St. James United Church was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1996 because:
- it is the best known example of a church in Canada combining a large, attractive and well-preserved amphitheatre plan with Victorian decoration in the nave and transept and a Sunday school influenced by the Akron plan in the chancel;
- its exterior is a fine example of a church in the high Victorian Gothic Revival style; and
- the church itself is closely associated with the late phase of Methodism, when the denomination espoused a moderate approach to religion and when many Methodists had become well-to-do members of society.
Built between 1887 and 1888 as a Methodist church, St. James United Church is representative of the late phase of Methodism, an evangelical protestant movement founded in the mid-18th century. By the late 19th century, Methodist congregations included many prosperous and well-placed members of society. Late-19th century Methodism had matured from an earlier focus on revival meetings and religious conversions towards an emphasis on moderation, gradualism and the central place of church institutions in the religious life of the individual. Central among these institutions was the Sunday school, as seen clearly in St. James United Church, which fostered the education and spiritual development of all ages.
St. James United Church illustrates Methodist church designs from the late Victorian era in its large scale, central location, eclectic Gothic Revival exterior, amphitheatre-based interior plan and the inclusion of elaborate Sunday school facilities. The large scale and elaborate design of the church reflects the social, political and economic importance of its members. The amphitheatre plan of the nave and transept maintained the central role of the preacher in Methodism. The Sunday school facilities and their location in the chancel reflected the importance of education and spiritual development within the church. Inspired by the Akron plan, a mid-19th century innovation in Sunday school design, the room featured a semi-circular plan and a moveable wall system that accommodated both small-group classroom study and large-scale assemblies.
St. James United Church reflects the High Victorian phase of Gothic Revival architecture, in its eclectic use of historical references and its inspiration from both French and Italian Gothic architecture. On the exterior, a high gable slate roof adorns the polychromatic facades. The ornate plaster decoration of the interior, in the form of moulded and carved arches and ribs, suspended from roof trusses and without supporting pillars, has a High Victorian Gothic flourish. The interior is illuminated with natural light through stained glass windows decorated with wooden tracery and Gothic motifs, such as quatrefoils, along the walls at the floor and gallery level.
Cost-Sharing Program
The National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program is a contribution program whereby up to 50% of eligible costs incurred in the conservation of a national historic site can be reimbursed. This year, the Program aimed to assist non-federal owners of national historic sites that demonstrated a real and immediate threat to the commemorative integrity of their national historic site and for which an intervention was required in the short term to maintain the physical integrity of the threatened cultural resources. A national historic site possesses commemorative integrity when it is healthy and whole, and when the site’s heritage values are protected, communicated and respected. The Program supports Parks Canada’s mandate of protecting and presenting places of national historic significance, and fostering the public’s understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of these places in ways that ensure their commemorative integrity for present and future generations.
-30-
National Historic Site: St. James United Church National Historic Site
Total Project Cost: minimum of $200,000
Parks Canada’s Contribution: up to $100,000
Project Description:
As part of a multi-year project, the conservation work at St. James United Church aims to preserve and stabilize the deteriorated masonry of the walls and one exterior buttress of Dawson Hall, located at the rear of the church. Since water infiltration within the stone buttress walls has erroded the mortar through to the inside causing stones to shift, work to repair and repoint the masonry is necessary to reduce the risk of stones becoming dislodged. This investment will ensure that the commemorative integrity of this important national historic site is maintained for present and future generations and will support its continued use so that it remains an integral part of the community.
St. James United Church National Historic Site
St. James United Church National Historic Site is located on St. Catherine Street West within a commercial district of downtown Montréal, Quebec. It is a large, late 19th century stone church, built in the High Victorian Gothic Revival style distinguished by two massive towers on the primary façade that border a prominent rose window set above a triple portal entrance. Official recognition refers to the church on its legal lot at 463 St. Catherine Street West.
St. James United Church was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1996 because:
- it is the best known example of a church in Canada combining a large, attractive and well-preserved amphitheatre plan with Victorian decoration in the nave and transept and a Sunday school influenced by the Akron plan in the chancel;
- its exterior is a fine example of a church in the high Victorian Gothic Revival style; and
- the church itself is closely associated with the late phase of Methodism, when the denomination espoused a moderate approach to religion and when many Methodists had become well-to-do members of society.
Built between 1887 and 1888 as a Methodist church, St. James United Church is representative of the late phase of Methodism, an evangelical protestant movement founded in the mid-18th century. By the late 19th century, Methodist congregations included many prosperous and well-placed members of society. Late-19th century Methodism had matured from an earlier focus on revival meetings and religious conversions towards an emphasis on moderation, gradualism and the central place of church institutions in the religious life of the individual. Central among these institutions was the Sunday school, as seen clearly in St. James United Church, which fostered the education and spiritual development of all ages.
St. James United Church illustrates Methodist church designs from the late Victorian era in its large scale, central location, eclectic Gothic Revival exterior, amphitheatre-based interior plan and the inclusion of elaborate Sunday school facilities. The large scale and elaborate design of the church reflects the social, political and economic importance of its members. The amphitheatre plan of the nave and transept maintained the central role of the preacher in Methodism. The Sunday school facilities and their location in the chancel reflected the importance of education and spiritual development within the church. Inspired by the Akron plan, a mid-19th century innovation in Sunday school design, the room featured a semi-circular plan and a moveable wall system that accommodated both small-group classroom study and large-scale assemblies.
St. James United Church reflects the High Victorian phase of Gothic Revival architecture, in its eclectic use of historical references and its inspiration from both French and Italian Gothic architecture. On the exterior, a high gable slate roof adorns the polychromatic facades. The ornate plaster decoration of the interior, in the form of moulded and carved arches and ribs, suspended from roof trusses and without supporting pillars, has a High Victorian Gothic flourish. The interior is illuminated with natural light through stained glass windows decorated with wooden tracery and Gothic motifs, such as quatrefoils, along the walls at the floor and gallery level.
Cost-Sharing Program
The National Historic Sites Cost-Sharing Program is a contribution program whereby up to 50% of eligible costs incurred in the conservation of a national historic site can be reimbursed. This year, the Program aimed to assist non-federal owners of national historic sites that demonstrated a real and immediate threat to the commemorative integrity of their national historic site and for which an intervention was required in the short term to maintain the physical integrity of the threatened cultural resources. A national historic site possesses commemorative integrity when it is healthy and whole, and when the site’s heritage values are protected, communicated and respected. The Program supports Parks Canada’s mandate of protecting and presenting places of national historic significance, and fostering the public’s understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of these places in ways that ensure their commemorative integrity for present and future generations.
News Release associated with this Backgrounder.
