St. Luke's Anglican Church
Description of Historic Place
St. Luke’s Anglican Church was constructed in stages between 1899 and 1906. It is a sandstone church building with steeply-pitched gable roofs. A square, two-storey tower with battlements is situated at the northwest corner, a chancel and vestry project from the east elevation, and a choir vestry projects from the south elevation. The church features numerous Gothic-arched doorways, windows and louvred tower openings. A Celtic cross surmounts the west gable end and a Latin cross surmounts the south gable end. A sandstone retaining wall partially encloses the building on the north and west sides. The church occupies three lots on a block of commercial buildings and is situated at the corner of Gaetz Avenue and 54 Street in downtown Red Deer.
Heritage Value
St. Luke’s Anglican Church is significant for its Gothic Revival architectural style and association with Rev. Joshua Hinchcliffe and Rev. William H. Fanning-Harris.
St. Luke’s Anglican Church, the oldest active church building in Red Deer, is an architectural landmark exemplifying the Gothic Revival style highlighted by a battlement tower and high pitched gable roofs. Locally-quarried, rusticated local sandstone was used in the construction and it is one of the few buildings in the Red Deer region made of this stone.
The church was constructed by the first Anglican parishioners, over an eight year period, under the direction of Rev. Joshua Hinchcliffe. The foundation was laid in 1898, the first section was completed in 1899, a second section in 1900 and an addition of a choir vestry and battlemented tower to the west end during 1905-1906. The latter addition was designed by local architect C.A. Julian-Sharman.
The association of the church with the Rev. Joshua Hinchcliffe is significant. As an architect, appointed rector of St. Luke's parish in 1898, Hinchcliffe played an instrumental role in the planning and design of the church in conjunction with a prominent firm of Edmonton architects Edmiston and Johnson. Prior to that, Hinchcliffe had worked extensively on the Blackfoot and Peigan reserves. He established St. Luke's as a vital part of the growing community. He was a military chaplain during World War I, and later a member of the British Columbia Legislature. He was admitted to the bar in 1932.
St. Luke’s Anglican Church is also historically significant for its association with Rev. Webster Henry Fanning-Harris, a former rector who was the first Canadian chaplain killed in World War I, and to whom the church’s 1920 central stained glass window is dedicated.
From the Alberta Heritage Register