Metropolitan United Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Metropolitan United Church is a large 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.
The congregation was originally Methodist and was founded in 1818. It was originally housed in a small chapel on King Street. In 1833 a larger structure was completed on Adelaide and it moved to its present location in 1872 when the building was dedicated as the Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist Church. Designed by Henry Langley, who was to draw "the ubiquitous cloak of decorous gothicism over the face of Ontario in the 1870s"[1] the church became known as
- the "cathedral of Methodism...a monument to ... energy, magnetism and culture....No church in Toronto has such great advantages of position....The handsome grounds of this church form one of the finest spaces in this city....The entire building is of white brick, with abundant cut stone dressing. It is a modernized form of the French thirteenth century Gothic, with nave, transepts and choir."[2]
and 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 an interesting witness immediately adjacent to Canada's financial hub. The church's website describes the building in evangelical Protestant terms, regarding the nave rather than the altar area as a "sanctuary."
In 1925 the Methodist Church of Canada merged with the Presbyterians and Congregationalists to form the United Church of Canada. Metropolitan was thus given its current name. The first ever general council of the new 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, instrumental in the creation of modern Toronto and indeed Canada. 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.
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.
