Dominion-Chalmers United Church

Dominion Chalmers United Church is a large United church, located in downtown Ottawa, at the corner of Cooper and O'Connor Streets (with access from Lisgar Street).[1] It is a 1962 merger of two key congregations from both the Methodist and Presbyterian traditions, each possessing lengthy histories.

Dominion-Chalmers United Church
Dominion-Chalmers United Church
Location355 Cooper at O'Connor Streets, Ottawa, Ontario
CountryCanada
DenominationUnited Church of Canada
Previous denominationPresbyterian
History
StatusCathedral
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Architect(s)Alexander Cowper Hutchinson
Architectural typeNorman-Gothic
StyleRomanesque Revival [1]
Groundbreaking1912

History

Chalmers Presbyterian/United Church, was originally Bank Street Canada Presbyterian Church, located on nearby Bank Street at Slater Street from 1866 to 1914. Alexander Cowper Hutchinson (architect) designed the Bank Street Presbyterian Church at Bank Street at Slater Street in 1868.[2]

The Bank Street Presbyterian Church building was reconstructed by the architect William Hodgson in 1881 after a fire.[3] Alexander Cowper Hutchinson designed the Bank Street Presbyterian Sunday School in 1890.[2]

The Bank Street Presbyterian Church was renamed after Thomas Chalmers, a leader of the 1843 disruption in the Church of Scotland that led to the formation of the Free Church, and in Ottawa, their "parent" congregation of Knox Presbyterian, is now located just two blocks east on Lisgar at Elgin Street. Alexander Cowper Hutchinson designed the Chalmers Presbyterian Church on O'Connor Street at Cooper Street, 1912-14.[2]

The Metcalfe Street building was built in 1830 as Metcalfe Street Methodist. In 1852 this group merged with those from Rideau Street, and the building was enlarged and renamed The Dominion in 1876. The Dominion Methodist Church, which was located on Metcalfe Street at Queen Street, was designed by the architect Henry Hodge Horsey and built between 1875-76.[4] The Dominion Methodist plaque lists Alexis Helmer, whose death was the inspiration for John McCrae's poem, "In Flanders Fields".

The building was destroyed in a fire in February 1961.[5]

The Dominion Methodist/United Church`s roots go back to Methodist circuit riders visitations in Hull, Lower Canada from 1816, and a wooden structure built on Rideau Street in the Lower Town in 1827.

The Dominion-Chalmers (or DC Church) buildings have recently undergone major renovations to their large sanctuary (damaged by a fire in 1955), and is used for concerts; and for other special events, sometimes of a national nature.[6]

The Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre

In 2018, Carleton University purchased the church building as a performance space, though the congregation will continue to use the building for religious services as well.[7] After its repossession, it was officially renamed the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre, although it is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the amalgamated Carleton Dominion-Chalmers United Centre, with Mara Brown being announced as this extension's first director on April 1st, effective April 15th.[8] Prior to this appointment, on March 26th, 2019, the university held a festival of life celebration for Professor Pius Adesanmi, Director of Carleton's Institute of African Studies; one of 18 Canadian persons to have died in a tragic plane crash on March 10th.[9] [10]

References
  1. Heritage Trust
  2. "Alexander Cowper Hutchinson". Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2012-03-20.
  3. Dictionary of Architects in Canada
  4. (Daily Citizen [Ottawa], 8 March 1875, 1, descrip.; Free Press [Ottawa], 10 June 1875, 4, descrip.; 7 Oct. 1876, 4, descrip.)
  5. Deachman, Bruce (3 November 2015). "100 years later, Ottawa church ensures that soldiers' stories will not be forgotten". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  6. Robb, Peter (29 January 2016). "Dominion-Chalmers seeks new path: Is a community centre for the arts in landmark church's future?". Ottawa Citizen.
  7. Murphy, Elizabeth (2018-05-24). "Carleton in the Community: Dominion-Chalmers United Church" (Press release). Ottawa: Carleton University. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  8. Murphy, Elizabeth (2019-04-02). "Mara Brown Named as the First Director of the Carleton Dominion-Chalmers Centre" (Press release). Ottawa: Carleton University. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
  9. Burke, Tyrone (2019-03-27). "Pius Adesanmi Honoured During Festival of Life" (Press release). Ottawa: Carleton University. Retrieved 2019-05-08.
  10. "Carleton Mourns Loss of Professor Pius Adesanmi" (Press release). Ottawa: Carleton University. Retrieved 2019-05-08.

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