Metropolitan United Church is a large neo-Gothic church in downtown Toronto, Canada. It is one of the largest and most prominent churches of the United Church of Canada. It is located on Queen Street East at the corner of Church Street in Toronto's Garden District.
Design
Designed by Henry Langley, who was to draw "the ubiquitous cloak of decorous gothicism over the face of Ontario in the 1870s" the church became known as
It played an important role in the city that was occasionally nicknamed the "Methodist Rome".
Its immediate neighbours are St James's Cathedral (Anglican) and St Michael's Cathedral (Roman Catholic) and the trio of similarly designed churches are a striking Christian witness immediately adjacent to Canada's financial hub. The church's website describes the building in customary evangelical Protestant terms, regarding the nave rather than the altar ("communion table") area as its "sanctuary."
Building A Church Website Video
History
The congregation, originally Methodist, was founded in 1818. It was originally housed in a small chapel on King Street West (now site of Commerce Court North). In 1833 a larger structure was completed on Adelaide Street and it moved to its present location in 1872 when the building was dedicated as the Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist Church.
In 1925 the Methodist Church of Canada merged with the Presbyterians and Congregationalists to form the United Church of Canada. Metropolitan then acquired its current name. The first General Council of the United Church was held there in 1925. In 1928 the church was almost destroyed by fire, but it was quickly rebuilt keeping the same design with the help of the Methodist Massey family, of Massey-Ferguson fame. In 1930 Casavant Frères installed the largest pipe organ in Canada in the newly refurbished building. The church is also known for its 54 bell carillon that is regularly heard throughout the neighbourhood.
A very important part of the church is the carillon. A traditional carillon is a set of 23 or more bells which are played from a mechanical keyboard. The collection of bells at the Metropolitan United Church has been growing since April 2, 1922, when Chester D. Massey dedicated 23 bells in memory of his wife. These original 23 bells are inscribed with the message "May the spirit of the Lord reach the heart of every one where the sound of these bells is heard." In 1960, Charles W. Drury and his wife donated twelve smaller bells, and by 1971, the collection was brought to a total of 54 bells. When the church was first built in 1872, it was designed to accommodate a future carillon. The tower was designed to support the addition of bells and their immense weight (over forty four thousand pounds), by having seven-foot thick walls at the base which taper as they go up. At the top of the tower is a bell chamber open to the outside through which the carillon music can be heard. The church also had Canada's largest pipe organ installed in 1930 following the fire which destroyed the previous organ. This instrument plays an important part in leading the church choir and ceremony every week. When it was first installed, there was a weekly recital which was widely known in the neighbourhood, and which received a great deal of recognition in the local papers. These two instruments, the organ and carillon, are an important part of the church's image and are enjoyed wherever they are heard and especially by the patients of the St. Michael's Hospital.
Today the church is known for its progressiveness. It has long played an important role in Toronto's Gay and Lesbian community that is centred just to the north on Church and Wellesley. The church also offers a wide array of services for the poor and homeless.
Organists and choir directors
- Mr. Thomas Turvey 1872-1873
- Dr. Frederic Herbert Torrington 1873-1907
- Mr. H.A. Wheeldon 1907-1913
- Mr. T.J. Palmer 1913-1917
- Dr. Herbert Austin Fricker 1917-1943
- Mr. John Reymes-King 1943-1946
- Dr. S. Drummond Wolff 1946-1952
- Mr. John Sidgwick 1952-1960
- Mr. Rowland Pack 1960
- Mr. Paul Murray 1961-1967
- (Alfred) Melville Cook 1967-1986
- Patricia Wright 1986-Present
Carillonneurs
- F. Percival Price 1922-26
- John Skillicorn 1926-28
- J. Leland Richardson 1928-30
- Edmund Milroy 1930-32
- Sidney Giles 1932-36
- Edmund Milroy 1936-41
- Stanley James 1941-62
- James B. Slater 1962-97
- Gerald Martindale 1997-Present
Notes
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