HISTORY
The first St. Paul’s congregation was established in 1872 as a Presbyterian church, and the current building is the third since its inception. The new church was officially dedicated on March 1, 1914 and is an elegant example of mixed architectural styles combining Georgian and Late Gothic Revival.
In 1923 the General Council of the Presbyterian Church in a historic meeting at St. Paul’s voted to join the Methodists and Congregationalists to form the United Church of Canada. In 1925 the majority of the Congregation of St. Paul’s voted to join the new United Church, with a small minority departing to form Lakeview Presbyterian Church.
The years after the Second World War saw significant additions, with construction of the Memorial Youth Centre and a new manse at the corner of the property. Stained glass windows were installed in the sanctuary, and more dramatic renovations were initiated in 1961.
The high point of these developments was installation of a Casavant organ, with over 3500 individual pipes ranging from less than an inch in length to one of 16 feet. The fiftieth anniversary of this organ was celebrated during 2014-15.
During those years an elevator was constructed to make the sanctuary more accessible. Shortly after the dedication of this elevator in 1989, a committee of church members was able to obtain funding and see work completed on a thirty-unit seniors housing complex, St. Paul’s Place, which is attached to the end of the Memorial Youth Centre above Secord Street.
