St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church - Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Posted by: 
The A-Team
N 48° 25.425 W 123° 21.945
10U E 472940 N 5363464
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church - completed in 1890 - is a distinctive castellated Scottish Baronial-style brick church located at 924 Douglas Street in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
Waymark Code: WMN7JD
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 01/12/2015
Views: 6
The congregation of St. Andrew's was originally formed in 1866 with the blessing of the Church of Scotland. Initially, the congregation rented a hall at $12 per month, but soon began to plan for the construction of a church of their own. A grant was provided by the Colonial Committee of the Church of Scotland, and a lot was acquired at the corner of Gordon and Courtney at a cost of $900. Ground was broken on August 4, 1868 and the new church was dedicated and opened on April 4, 1869.
Over the next two decades, the congregation thrived. In 1887, St. Andrew's severed its ties with the Church of Scotland and became part of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. By 1888, the congregation had grown to almost 400 and it was clear a larger facility would soon be required. By June 19, 1888, a site had been acquired at the corner of Douglas and Broughton at a cost of $7000. Prominent architect Leonard Butress Trimen, who had recently arrived from England, was commissioned to come up with a design that would stand out in the community. The church was designed in the Scottish Baronial style and was originally planned to be constructed of stone. However, due to the high cost, the design was revised to use brick instead; reputedly a million bricks were used to build the church. The cornerstone was laid in a Masonic ceremony on March 7, 1889, which included speeches by local politicians and clergy and the music of a regimental band. The formal opening and dedication ceremony were held on January 12, 1890.
As part of the Scottish Baronial style, the church has distinctive medieval features such as battlements, tourelles, and conical roofs. The red and black banding is an example of the architectural trends in England at the time. An innovative and complex roof truss system using metal tension rods allowed the sanctuary to be spanned without interior columns. After the Victoria Electric Illuminating Company introduced the first commercial electric lights in Canada in 1883, the church became the second in North America to be lit by electric lights.
Today, the church still dominates the corner of Douglas and Broughton in the heart of downtown Victoria and has a congregation of roughly 600. The old church building was demolished in 1935, and the current church was given heritage designation by the City of Victoria in 1979. The second floor is now rented out to Ballet Victoria.
References:
Canadian Register of Historic Places
St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in the Heart of Victoria's Victoria