St. Andrew's Church (Toronto)
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St. Andrew's Church is a historic
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...
located at the corner of King Street West and Simcoe Street in the city's
downtown core The Downtown Core is the historical and downtown centre of the city-state of Singapore and the main commercial area in Singapore excluding reclaimed lands with two integrated resorts such as the Marina Bay Sands, one of the most expensive buil ...
of
Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Canada. It was designed by
William George Storm William George Storm (October 29, 1826 – 1892) was a Canadian architect who designed a number of prominent monuments in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. Early life William George Storm was born on October 29, 1826 in Burton-upon-Stather, England, son ...
in the
Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended t ...
style and completed in 1876.


History

The congregation was founded in 1830 as the first
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
congregation in the Town of York. The original church building was located at the southwest corner of Church Street and Adelaide Street. It was designed by
John Ewart John Reford Ewart (26 February 1928 – 8 March 1994) was an Australian actor of radio, stage, television and film. Ewart was a double nominee (and one/time winner) of the AACTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Early life Ewart was ...
. After the 1843 split of the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, a portion of the congregation supportive of the Free Church Movement left St. Andrew's the following summer and founded Knox Presbyterian Church, along with another group (led by the Rev. James Harris) that had been separate since 1834. The original church building eventually proved too small, and St. Andrew's moved to its current location at the southeast corner of
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
and Simcoe streets (one block west of University Avenue and the St. Andrew subway station, which got its name from the church) on February 13, 1876. This westward move caused some controversy, and the congregation split over the issue. One group (62 of 403 members) continued in the old church building, which became known as Old St. Andrew's. In 1878, this group moved to a new building located on nearby
Jarvis Street Jarvis Street is a north-south thoroughfare in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, passing through some of the oldest developed areas in the city. Its alignment extends from Queens Quay East in the south to Bloor Street in the north. The segment ...
. The group remained there until 1951, when it joined with Westminster (formerly Yorkville Presbyterian) - Central (formerly Methodist) to become
St. Andrew's United Church St. Andrew's United Church is a historic congregation of the United Church of Canada in Toronto, Canada. Located in the city's downtown core near the intersection of Yonge and Bloor streets, it is a combination of five other downtown Toronto co ...
at 117
Bloor Street East Bloor Street is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River (Ontario), Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East ...
. The church building on Jarvis Street was sold to another denomination and became St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church. The main congregation moved in 1876 to the new Romanesque Revival church that became known as New St. Andrew's. This building was designed by noted Toronto architect
William George Storm William George Storm (October 29, 1826 – 1892) was a Canadian architect who designed a number of prominent monuments in Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. Early life William George Storm was born on October 29, 1826 in Burton-upon-Stather, England, son ...
and was the central Presbyterian church in Toronto, with an addition and renovation in 1906. It became especially well known under the ministry of renowned orator the Rev. D.J. Macdonnell (1870–1896), who pushed the church towards an active social role, and was the centre of a
heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Heresy in Christian ...
trial in 1876 (a minor bump in the recently formed
Presbyterian Church in Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada () is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Religion in Canada, Canada 2021 Censu ...
). As such, the intersection of King and Simcoe was popularly said to represent one of the four parts of Toronto society, namely ''
Salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
''. The others were: ''
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'', the Lieutenant-Governor's Residence; ''
Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...
'', the original home of
Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an independent day and boarding school for boys in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as Canada's most prestigious preparatory school, and ha ...
; and ''
damnation Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment after death for sins that were committed, or in some cases, good actions not done, on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, it was believed that citizens woul ...
'', a
tavern A tavern is a type of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern that ...
. The congregation was one of the most active in opposition to the union that saw the majority of Canadian Presbyterian churches join the
United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...
in 1925. The St. Andrew's congregation, under the leadership of the Rev. Dr. Stuart C. Parker, voted 94% (19-733) against joining the new church. It was at St. Andrew's that representatives of the remaining Presbyterian churches from across Canada met for a "Congress", as well as the General Assembly of the Continuing Presbyterian Church in June 1925. Around this time, ''73 Simcoe Street'' became used as the postal address for the anti-Church Union group, the Presbyterian Church Association. Later in the 20th century, the church's downtown location presented a challenge to St. Andrew's, since the area had become largely industrial and later one of the poorest in the city. Increasingly, the church patrons were living further north. There were thus many discussions of again moving the church, but each time the congregation voted to remain put. Eventually, the revival of the downtown core in the 1970s and 1980s began with the opening of the St. Andrew Subway Station at nearby University Avenue in 1963. Further redevelopment of the area, including the addition of
Roy Thomson Hall Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located downtown in the city's entertainment district, it is home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the esports team Toronto Defiant. Opened ...
on the southwest corner of Simcoe and King Streets, transformed the neighbourhood, and the church is again prospering. After acquiring air rights from new buildings in the area, there was an extensive rebuilding at the south end, including construction of a new condominium tower in which the congregation retained the first three floors. The property (consisting of the manse and the church building) is designated under part IV of the ''
Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Canadian Province of Ontario, as being of cultural heritage ...
'' since August 10, 1981. There is also a Heritage Easement on the property since July 1981. The designation notes that it was designed by William Storm in 1875 with an alteration in 1907 by Curry, Sproat & Rolph. The congregation has taken leadership in ministry to the poor, with "Out of the Cold", coordinated by famous author
Stevie Cameron Stevie Cameron (née Dahl; October 11, 1943 – August 31, 2024) was a Canadian investigative journalist and author. She worked for various newspapers such as the ''Toronto Star'' and ''The Globe and Mail''. She co-hosted the investigative new ...
, and a Boarding Homes Ministry, as well as involvement with the
Presbyterian Church in Canada The Presbyterian Church in Canada () is a Presbyterian denomination, serving in Canada under this name since 1875. The United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939. According to the Religion in Canada, Canada 2021 Censu ...
's Evangel Hall. The congregation also maintains ties with its
Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...
roots. In March 2005, to celebrate their 175th Anniversary as a congregation, the Moderator of the
Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...
, Dr. Alison Elliot, was involved as their Anniversary Speaker. The 48th Highlanders Regiment has a strong link with the congregation, and the regiment's museum is located in the basement of the church. The museum includes regimental uniforms, medals, photographs, weapons and other artifacts. Founded in 1959, the museum opened in its current location in 1997.


Clergy


Senior ministers

*William Rintoul (1831-1834) *William Turnbull Leach (1835-1842), left to become an
Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...
Church Minister, and later a professor at
McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...
in
Montreal, Quebec Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
*John Barclay (1843-1869) *Daniel James Macdonnell (1870-1896) *William J. McCaughan (1897-1898) *Armstrong Black (1899-1905) *T. Crawford Brown (1905-1914), became World War I Chaplain with
48th Highlanders of Canada The 48th Highlanders of Canada is a Canadian Forces Primary Reserve infantry regiment based in Toronto, Ontario, parading out of Moss Park Armoury. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group. Regimental Badge ...
*Thomas Eakin (Assistant 1907–1914, 1915–1921), appointed to
The Presbyterian College, Montreal The Presbyterian College/Le Collège Presbytérien, 3495 University Street, Montreal, Quebec, is a Theological College of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, and is affiliated with McGill University through its School of Religious Studies. The Pre ...
, later Principal of
Knox College, University of Toronto Knox College is a Colleges of the University of Toronto, postgraduate theological college of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded in 1844 as ...
*Stuart Crawford Parker (1923-1950), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, 1939 *J. C. Paul Stirling (1949 Associate and Successor, 1950–1972) *H. Douglas Stewart (1972-1983), (uncle of journalist Brian Stewart) *James W. Evans (1984-1988) *Cameron Brett (October 1990 – 2006) *William G. (Will) Ingram (September 2007 – present)


Assistants, associates, and deaconesses

*Esther Georgina Wylie (Deaconess), -1922 *J.M. Macdonald *A. Wylie Mahon (1918-1929) *R.J. Macdonald *Miss Caldecott (Deaconess) *Miss Christina J. Moffat (Deaconess), 1920s-1930s *Lynda Hoffos (Reid) (Deaconess) *Michael Farris *Patricia Strung *Michael Barnes *George C. Vais (1998-2010),
General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presby ...
Moderator, 1995 *Robert N. Faris, inducted May 29, 2011


Organists

*
Humfrey Anger Joseph Humfrey Anger (3 June 186211 June 1913) was a Canadian organist, pianist, conductor, composer, and music educator of English birth. His compositional output consists mainly of church music and works for solo piano and organ. Some of his m ...
(1896-1902) *Douglas Bodle (Organist Emeritus)


See also

*
List of oldest buildings and structures in Toronto This is a list of the oldest buildings and structures in Toronto, that were constructed before 1920. The history of Toronto, history of Toronto dates back to Indigenous settlements in the region approximately 12,000 years ago. However, the oldes ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Toronto Plaques - St. Andrew's Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Andrew's Church Presbyterian churches in Toronto Religious organizations established in 1830 Romanesque Revival church buildings in Canada Churches completed in 1876 19th-century Presbyterian church buildings in Canada 1830 establishments in Upper Canada Church of Scotland churches