Saint James United Church (Montreal)

Saint James United Church is a heritage church in downtown Montreal, Quebec.

The French Gothic church was designed by Montreal architect Alexander F. Dunlop. It is noteworthy for its false apse housing church offices and for its Casavant Frères organ.

When it was built in June 1889, it was the largest Methodist church in Canada, with 2,000 seats; it was nicknamed the "Cathedral Church of Methodism." It now belongs to the United Church of Canada, into which the Canadian Methodists merged in 1925. Its congregation founded the first YMCA in North America in November 25, 1851 (before the present church building was built) and led an active campaign for women's suffrage early in the 20th century.

In 1927, to cover upkeep costs, the church permitted a commercial building to be built in front of its Sainte Catherine Street façade. The building, adjoining the church's structure, concealed the church for over 78 years, the church itself being announced by a large neon sign. As part of an $8-million restoration effort sponsored by the city of Montreal and the Quebec government, a portion of the commercial buildings was demolished in 2005, revealing the church once more, with a new square designed by Claude Cormier. [Citation
last = Affleck
first = Gavin
title = IN FULL VIEW: PUBLIC SPACE IN MONTREAL
newspaper = Canadian Architect
url =http://www.canadianarchitect.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?story_id=253210132434&issue=02012008&PC= .] Access has also been restored to the rear lawn from Sainte Catherine Street.

It is located at 463 Saint Catherine Street West between Saint Alexandre and City Councillors Streets (McGill metro station), in the borough of Ville-Marie. It is designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

ee also

*Christ Church Cathedral (Montreal)

References

External links

* [http://www.stjamesunitedchurchmontreal.com/ Saint James United Church official site]
* [http://collections.ic.gc.ca/relig/stjames.htm Religious Heritage - The story of St. James United]
* [http://www.cyberpresse.ca/actualites/article/article_complet.php?path=/actualites/article/20/1,63,0,082005,1136196.php Saint James, la résurrection] ("La Presse", August 20, 2005)