Cochrane Street United Church - St John's, Newfoundland - Atlantic Canada Heritage Properties on Waymarking.com

Cochrane Street United Church was constructed in 1915-1916 and is unique in construction (steel and reinforced concrete) and style (Italianate-Tuscan style of architecture, the only church of this type in St. John’s). However, the location and condition may hide the true grandeur of this building. Built on a slope and surrounded on three sides by equally large buildings, it is somewhat difficult for the visitor to get a sense for the size of the building from the outside. With faded and peeling dull white exterior paint and some boarded up windows, it becomes a building that is easily overlooked or dismissed.

The present building replaced a wood framed building constructed in 1882 and destroyed by fire at the beginning of 1914. The bid from Ross and Macdonald, Architects, of Montreal to construct the building was $160,000 - which translates to approximately $3.1 million dollars in 2019.

Faced with rising maintenance and utility costs, in 2015 the congregation chose to convert portions of the building into affordable housing units. By 2018 there were 10 bachelor-style apartments built in spaces that formerly held Sunday school classrooms, with plans to add five seniors apartments in the church basement.

Cochrane Street United Church was designated as a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2004. The following description of the building and it's significance is taken from the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador website:

Heritage Value

Cochrane Street United Church has been designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador due to its aesthetic value. Cochrane Street United Church has aesthetic value due to its unique design. Designed in an Italianate-Tuscan style of architecture, Cochrane Street United Church is the only church of this type in St. John’s. The church features many elements of the Italianate-Tuscan style, including a square bell tower at the side, a veranda, decorative brackets, rounded arch windows and arcading in the open bell utilizing Corinthian capitals. The interior of the church also features a number of unique elements including barrel vaults and a soaring Byzantine style dome. Built during World War I, the architecture of Cochrane Street United Church is a reminder of what is possible during times of restraint. Circumstances such as fire, wartime and limited resources prompted the congregation of Cochrane Street United Church to think and act in a more contemporary manner. The result was an architecturally unique structure designed by a leading architectural firm. Cochrane Street United Church also has aesthetic value due to its association with the architectural firm of Ross and McDonald. Ross and McDonald are credited with being the longest continuous architectural firm in Canadian history, conducting business between 1913 and 1942. The Montreal firm is credited with many architecturally important buildings throughout Canada including the Royal York Hotel in Toronto and numerous buildings on the McGill University Campus in Montreal. Cochrane Street United Church has further aesthetic value due to its environmental setting. Located in downtown St. John’s, the church is part of a complex of select buildings which symbolize the early governmental, religious, and military history of Newfoundland. Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file “St. John’s – Cochrane Street United Church – FPT 2050?

Character Defining Elements

All those elements which represent the aesthetic value Cochrane Street United including: – steel and poured concrete frame construction; – colours of building; – Byzantine dome; – interior barrel vaulting; – bell tower; – eaves brackets; – window style and placement, – rounded arch windows and arcading; – decorative brickwork around doors and windows; – stained glass windows, and; – dimensions, location and orientation of building.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador, accessed March 2019

URL of Page from Heritage Register: [Web Link] Site's Own URL: [Web Link] Address of site: 81 Cochrane Street, St. John's, NL, A1C 3L7

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