September 9, 2012

St. John the Evangelist
West 13th and Chesterfield Avenue
1900

September-Celebrating St. John's
Posthumous
St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church 1900
North Vancouver, B.C. Canada

"The Church of St. John the Evangelist is a one-storey wood-frame building with a steeply pitched roof, clad in drop siding with shingles in the gable ends. It is the oldest Anglican Church in North Vancouver, (1899/01/01 to 1900/01/01)..." (Link 3) The building was 20 ft. square, had (soft wood floors), a cathedral ceiling, and a stained glass window(s). (Link 4 and REF 1.) "At the east end was a small altar with a tiny room on each side of it-one for the clergy to robe, and a library and storage room." (REF 1.)

"The Church of St. John the Evangelist is of historic value as the first Anglican church to be built on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet, and represents the role of religious organizations in North Vancouver's early years. Services were held in private homes until the church was completed in 1900 and dedicated as a mission church. Typical of pioneer churches, it is a simple vernacular structure built with local materials. Lumber for its construction was obtained from the Moodyville sawmill.... In December of that year it was decided that electric lighting should be installed in the church,...

Sanctuary of St. John's Anglican Church 1900

"Such was the growth of the area that the size of the church congregation had doubled by 1907. This building was enlarged to double its capacity in 1907. (Link 2.) In March 1909, the cornerstone of a new church was laid, and this original building (1900 building) was then used as the church hall (in 1909). The building initially stood at 13th Street and Chesterfield Avenue. (Link 3.)

"After its use as a church, it became a church hall, and later the scout hall.  In 1973 the congregation decided to replace its original church and offered the building as a gift to the city,  if it was moved to a new site.  The arts council recognized the benefits of the building, both for its historical value and as a character space for the arts and asked that it be added to the arts centre by moving it to the site at 3rd and Chesterfield," It is located on West 3rd Street on the campus of Presentation House.

"The church building was moved from (13th) Street down to third and the restoration was completed by a volunteer Building Committee and the Young Canada Works Program. Finally, after replacing the stained glass window,("...the window was rebuilt by the same company which built the original, they still had the templates.-REF 1.) the Anne MacDonald Hall was opened on December 11, 1978.

Anne MacDonald Hall 2000

"The driving force behind the North Vancouver Community Arts Council was its Executive Director, Anne MacDonald, who was honored by having the church building named after her. The City of North Vancouver donated the building and capital funds were raised from the National Museums Program, the BC Community Recreational Facilities Fund, BC Ministry of Recreation and Conservation, Vancouver Foundation, District of North Vancouver, a fire insurance claim and private donations." (Link 1.)

Thank you: To Denise Lysak at Presentation House for additional information
                on the Anne MacDonald Hall.

                To congregation members Jim Lawrence, Donna Lawrence, Alison

                 Brookfield, and Linda Harrison for review of this Blog Post.

Photos: Black and White copied from book by Beth Lawrence.
                Color exterior photo taken in the year 2000 by SW.
                Color interior photo from Link 5.
Reference 1: Faithful People of God, The First Century of the Parish of St. 
                John's North Vancouver, by Beth Lawrence.
Reference 2: City of North Vancouver Heritage Inventory 1994, page 24.
Link1: http://www.phtheatre.org/about-pht/history/
Link 2: http://memorybc.ca/st-john-evangelist-parish-north-vancouver-b-c-fonds;rad
Link 3: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3903733335329433712#editor/target=post;postID=5998881147046277241
Link 4: http://www.artsoffice.ca/arts_directory/facilities_and_venues/directory17.php
Link 5: http://www.phtheatre.org/venue-rentals/anne-mac-donald-studio/

Note: Entire history of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, see Blog Posts:

            1890's Dorman's Shack, 9/2/12.
            1900 Church (1978 Anne MacDonald Hall), 9/9/12.

            1909 Church and 1985 Fire, 9/9/12.

            1948 Memorial Hall (Church, 1985 to 1987), 9/23/12.

            1987 Church, 9/30/12.

Prayer

God, be with the persecuted Christians through out the world. Amen