City Not Keen On Approving Demo Of Heritage Church

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The owners of St. Barnabas Church located at 2115 Tecumseh Road East are seeking a demolition permit from the city to knock down the now closed church to make way for a drugstore development.

The property has been listed on the city’s heritage register since August 2007 and that poses challenges to developers wishing to demolish a property.

In a report heading to the city’s Planning, Heritage & Economic Development Standing Committee on February 9th, City Planner John Calhoun recommends that city council deny the request to demolish the church building, but approve the request to knock down the old rectory and a smaller church located on the back of the property fronting Chilver.

The large church building was constructed in 1955, and features large stain glass windows and a slender steeple near the west end of the building.  The inside features vaulted wood-faced ceilings.  The walls are made of irregular flat stone.

The smaller church was constructed in 1939 and the rectory was built in 1942.

The current property owners real estate agent has told city administration that there is limited market for the large church with no on-site parking.

City planning staff say that with the recommended demolition of the two other buildings, parking can be made on-site and that the large church can be retained and reused, and that alternate uses of the building need to be explored.

They recomend the proponent look at using the existing church and adapt it to retail use.