| St. James United Church | |
|---|---|
 St. James United Church onSaint Catherine Street inDowntown Montreal. | |
  St. James United Church | |
| 45°30′19″N73°34′07″W / 45.5054°N 73.5686°W /45.5054; -73.5686 | |
| Location | 1435 City Councillors street Montreal,Quebec H3A 2E4 |
| Denomination | United Church of Canada |
| Previous denomination | Methodist Church of Canada |
| Website | www.stjamesmontreal.ca/ |
| History | |
| Status | active |
| Founded | 1803 |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Alexander Francis Dunlop |
| Architectural type | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1887 |
| Completed | 1889 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 1,200 |
| Number of spires | 2 |
| Administration | |
| Synod | Montreal and Ottawa Conference |
| Presbytery | Quebec Presbytery |
| Clergy | |
| Minister | Rev. Arlen John Bonnar |
| Laity | |
| Organist/Director of music | DrAlexandra Fol |
| Official name | St. James United Church National Historic Site of Canada |
| Designated | 1996 |
| Type | Classified heritage immovable |
| Designated | 1980 |
| Reference no. | 92747[1] |
Saint James United Church is a heritagechurch in the city'sdowntown core ofMontreal,Quebec,Canada. It is aProtestant church affiliated with theUnited Church of Canada. It is located at 463Saint Catherine Street West between Saint Alexandre and City Councillors Streets (McGillmetro station), in the borough ofVille-Marie withinDowntown Montreal. It was designated as aNational Historic Site of Canada in 1996.[2][3]
TheGothic Revival church was designed by Montreal architectAlexander Francis Dunlop. It is noteworthy for its falseapse housing church offices and for itsCasavant Frèresorgan.
When it was built in June 1889, it was the largestMethodist church inCanada, with 2,000 seats; it was nicknamed the "Cathedral Church of Methodism." It now belongs to theUnited Church of Canada, into which the Canadian Methodists merged in 1925. Its congregation founded the firstYMCA in North America on November 25, 1851 (before the present church building was built) and led an active campaign forwomen's suffrage early in the 20th century.
AWorld War I memorial window (1924) byCharles William Kelsey depicting a trench scene at St. James United Church (Montreal) was dedicated to 32 members who were killed overseas and 267 others who served in the Great War. The side lights represent the cardinal virtues,Justice,Prudence,Temperance andFortitude.
In 1927, to cover upkeep costs, the church permitted a commercial building to be built in front of itsSainte Catherine Street façade. The building, adjoining the church's structure, concealed the church for over 78 years, the church itself being announced by a largeneon sign.
In 2005, as part of an $8-million restoration effort sponsored by the city of Montreal and the Quebec government, a portion of the commercial buildings were demolished, once again revealing the facade of the church as well as a newpublic square designed by Quebec architectClaude Cormier.[4] Access has also been restored to the rear lawn from Sainte Catherine Street.
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