St. Andrew's Wesley Church - Vancouver, BC - Western Canadian Heritage on Waymarking.com

St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church was completed in 1927 for the union of Presbyterian, Methodist, Congregational and Local Union Churches. The name combines the congregations of St. Andrew’s Presbyterian and Wesley Methodist.

Earlier History - Methodist missionaries arrived in Vancouver from Britain around 1859. A church was eventually built on Water St. in 1875 but was destroyed in the Great Vancouver Fire of 1886. In 1887, the congregation divided into two: Princess Street and Homer Street.

In 1870 a Presbyterian congregation was organized in a local community schoolhouse. First Presbyterian Church was erected on Cordova Street but was also destroyed in the 1886 fire. The congregation then moved to a larger centre on the corner of Gore and Hastings Streets in 1892. Both church congregations built, inhabited and sold several ever-larger church buildings.

In 1927 St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on Georgia and Richards, and Wesley Methodist, amalgamated as St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church. The sale of that smaller property allowed the growing combined congregations to purchase the current site on Burrard and Nelson streets. The “Cathedral Church of the United Church in B.C.” - St. Andrew’s-Wesley’s new building was opened on May 26, 1933, with Rev. Dr. Willard Brewing as first minister of the united congregation.

St. Andrew's Wesley Church is classified as a Schedule "A" heritage building by the City of Vancouver and as such is legally protected by the city's heritage by-law No. 4837.

The plaque reads:

"City of Vancouver Heritage Building / St. Andrew’s-Wesley Church / Architects: Robert P. Twizell & George S. Twizell / This inspiring Gothic Revival Church, built entirely of materials from British Columbia, opened on May 26, 1933. The church stands as a testament to the faith of its two founding congregations – Wesley Methodist, formerly located at the southwest corner of Georgia and Burrard and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian, formerly at the northeast corner of Georgia and Richards. The two churches united, along with the Congregational Church, when their fellow congregation across Canada came together in 1925 to form The United Church of Canada."

Sources: (visit link) and (visit link)

Official Heritage Registry: [Web Link] Address: 1022 Nelson St, Vancouver, BC V6E 4S7 Heritage Registry Page Number: Not listed

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Date Logged Log User Rating   01/25/2021 petendot visited it