Saint Luke's United Church is a historic United Church of Canada church at 353 Sherbourne Street in the Garden District neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
The church was built in 1887 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style to designs by the prominent Toronto architectural firm of Langley & Burke. Originally known as Sherbourne Street Methodist Church, its congregation had been established in 1872 and became part of the newly formed United Church of Canada in 1925. In 1959, Sherbourne Street United Church merged with Carlton Street United Church, a congregation founded in 1832, to form Saint Luke's United Church.
History
The congregation was founded in 1871 as Carleton Street Wesleyan Methodist Church. Its first church building, designed by architect James Avon Smith, was completed the following year. The congregation soon outgrew the building, which was demolished in 1886.
The present church was completed in 1887 in the Richardsonian Romanesque style to designs by prominent Toronto architect Henry Langley and his nephew, Edmund Burke. Construction cost an estimated $76,000, and the church had a seating capacity of 800. Langley & Burke designed a Sunday school wing, constructed to the northeast of the church in 1912. A narthex was added to the Sherbourne Street façade in 1929 to designs by the firm of Wickson & Gregg, followed in 1962 by a gymnasium to the south, designed by Toronto architects Parrott, Tambling and Witmer.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Sherbourne Street Methodist Church was known as the "millionaires' church", reflecting the concentration of wealthy and prominent Toronto families who lived in stately homes along Sherbourne Street. Notable members of the congregation during this period included Sir Joseph Flavelle, Sir Albert Edward Kemp, and George Albertus Cox.
In 1925, the congregation joined the newly formed United Church of Canada and became known as Sherbounre Street United Church. The church merged with the nearby Carlton Street United Church in 1959 and adopted the name Saint Luke's United Church.
The Carlton Street United Church congregation was founded in 1832 as Bay Street Primitive Methodist Church. In 1854, the congregation relocated to Alice Street, where it remained until the church was destroyed by fire in 1874. The following year, the congregation moved to a new church on Carlton Street, east of Yonge Street, designed by architect William George Storm. Like the Sherbourne Street church, in 1925, the congregation joined the newly formed United Church became known as Carlton Street United Church.
Community use
The church building houses many different types of rooms to accommodate various activities, including: the main sanctuary, a chapel, a gymnasium, two kitchens, a few administrative offices, some meeting rooms, and a formal parlor. As a result of this diversity of space, the church has become a community center that hosts functions for the general public. Concerts are held in the church from time to time, and several musical groups use the building as a space for practice. Dance groups and theater troupes are also tenants of the building. Some non-profit organizations including: Alcoholics Anonymous, abuse prevention programs, continuing education programs and food banks use the church's meeting and kitchen spaces to benefit the community. Several sports groups including a fencing club, and martial arts group train in the gymnasium on a regular basis. The church also displays pride flags and is open to all; it even hosts a dance group geared toward the gay community.
As of May 2022, the church was being renovated as part of the United Church's Kindred Works project to renovate underused churches to provide community housing. KPMB Architects, the lead designers on the project, plans to keep the original building from 1887, but largely demolish later additions to make room for a 12-story building with 100 units.
Congregations The main sanctuary and chapel currently are host to seven different worship groups, six of which are culturally different Christian denominations, and the other being a Buddhist meditation circle. Saint Luke's has actually hosted up to nine different congregations simultaneously in the past. In addition to the United Church of Canada, other congregations that use the building include the Berea Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Sheep Flock Korean Presbyterian Church, and several other congregations and community groups.
See also List of United Church of Canada churches in Toronto
References