Bathurst Street Theatre
Encyclopedia
The Bathurst Street Theatre is a theatre
in Toronto
, Ontario
, that is housed in a former church. The Gothic revival building is located at 736 Bathurst Street at Lennox, one traffic light to the south of Bloor Street
, Honest Ed's
, the Bathurst Street Subway Station
, and across Bathurst from Central Technical School
.
After a gift of land on Bathurst Street from the son of John Strachan
, the first building on this site was constructed in 1866. Following a congregational split in 1869 when Primitive Methodists in the area formed their own congregation), this congregation continued to grow, and was joined by the former Primitive Methodist congregation in 1884, following the union of Methodists across Canada.
The present building (Bathurst Street Methodist Church) was erected by the congregation in 1888 to meet the demands of the growing population, and the United Methodist presence
in Toronto. The building was designed by the architectural firm Gordon & Helliwell
.
In 1925 the congregation joined the new United Church of Canada
and became Bathurst Street United Church; a minority of Presbyterians from St. Paul's PC (then located north of Bloor) joined, as St Paul's (who merged with Dovercourt Road PC in 1968, Chalmers in 1980, Dufferin Street PC in 1994, and closed in June 2005), remained within the Presbyterian Church in Canada
.
In the 1950s, as the earlier families emigrated to the suburbs, the congregation shrank. A number of strategies were tried to increase attendance, one of these was the Sunday Evening Forums wherein the Sunday evening sermon was replaced by a panel discussion on social issues among prominent guests. Running from 1944 to 1951 noted panelists included Tim Buck
, who lived nearby.
The small congregation had difficulty maintaining the old structure and increasingly they began to rent out the building for concerts and plays. Increasingly the building became better known for its role as a theatre than for being a church.
In 1985 the congregation finally opted to leave the building and it now meets at nearby Trinity-St. Paul's United Church
. The building became a permanent and well known theatre. In 2002 the United Church of Canada sold the building to the Bathurst Street Theatre.
Currently, the Bathurst Street Theatre is home to the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts.
The theater seats 555 people at full capacity (when the upper balcony is full).
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, that is housed in a former church. The Gothic revival building is located at 736 Bathurst Street at Lennox, one traffic light to the south of Bloor Street
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
, Honest Ed's
Honest Ed's
Honest Ed's is a landmark discount store located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named for its proprietor, Ed Mirvish, who opened the store in 1948 and oversaw its operations for almost sixty years, until his death in 2007.-Location:...
, the Bathurst Street Subway Station
Bathurst (TTC)
Bathurst is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 565 Bloor Street West at Bathurst Street. It was opened in 1966...
, and across Bathurst from Central Technical School
Central Technical School
Central Technical School is a composite high school located at 725 Bathurst Street at Harbord Street in Toronto, Canada.C.T.S. offers a wide range of programs, including all core academic courses, as well as concentration and specialization in visual arts and technical studies. C.T.S...
.
History
The building was originally home to Bathurst Street Wesleyan Methodist Church. This congregation was an extension of Elm Street WMC, and started in 1860. In 1862, services were being conducted in a cottage on nearby Markham Street, and the area was still known as Seaton Village, still outside of the Toronto city limits.After a gift of land on Bathurst Street from the son of John Strachan
John Strachan
John Strachan was an influential figure in Upper Canada and the first Anglican Bishop of Toronto.-Early life:Strachan was the youngest of six children born to a quarry worker in Aberdeen, Scotland. He graduated from King's College, Aberdeen in 1797...
, the first building on this site was constructed in 1866. Following a congregational split in 1869 when Primitive Methodists in the area formed their own congregation), this congregation continued to grow, and was joined by the former Primitive Methodist congregation in 1884, following the union of Methodists across Canada.
The present building (Bathurst Street Methodist Church) was erected by the congregation in 1888 to meet the demands of the growing population, and the United Methodist presence
Methodist Rome
Methodist Rome was a nickname sometimes given to the city of Toronto, Ontario in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The moniker implied that Toronto was as central to Canadian Methodism as Rome, or more specifically Vatican City in Rome, is to Catholicism.Methodism was never the...
in Toronto. The building was designed by the architectural firm Gordon & Helliwell
Gordon & Helliwell
Gordon & Helliwell was a turn-of-the-century architectural firm based in Toronto, Ontario. Principals were Henry Bauld Gordon, RCA, and Grant Helliwell .-Selected works:* Queen's Theological Hall, Kingston, Ontario, 1879...
.
In 1925 the congregation joined the new United Church of Canada
United Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
and became Bathurst Street United Church; a minority of Presbyterians from St. Paul's PC (then located north of Bloor) joined, as St Paul's (who merged with Dovercourt Road PC in 1968, Chalmers in 1980, Dufferin Street PC in 1994, and closed in June 2005), remained within the Presbyterian Church in Canada
Presbyterian Church in Canada
The Presbyterian Church in Canada is the name of a Protestant Christian church, of presbyterian and reformed theology and polity, serving in Canada under this name since 1875, although the United Church of Canada claimed the right to the name from 1925 to 1939...
.
In the 1950s, as the earlier families emigrated to the suburbs, the congregation shrank. A number of strategies were tried to increase attendance, one of these was the Sunday Evening Forums wherein the Sunday evening sermon was replaced by a panel discussion on social issues among prominent guests. Running from 1944 to 1951 noted panelists included Tim Buck
Tim Buck
Timothy "Tim" Buck was a long-time leader of the Communist Party of Canada...
, who lived nearby.
The small congregation had difficulty maintaining the old structure and increasingly they began to rent out the building for concerts and plays. Increasingly the building became better known for its role as a theatre than for being a church.
In 1985 the congregation finally opted to leave the building and it now meets at nearby Trinity-St. Paul's United Church
Trinity-St. Paul's United Church
Trinity-St. Paul's United Church is a church belonging to the United Church of Canada in Toronto, Ontario. It is located at 427 Bloor Street West, just west of Spadina Avenue. The church is formed of a mix of three different former congregations and houses a fourth.Today, Trinity-St. Paul's has a...
. The building became a permanent and well known theatre. In 2002 the United Church of Canada sold the building to the Bathurst Street Theatre.
Currently, the Bathurst Street Theatre is home to the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts.
The theater seats 555 people at full capacity (when the upper balcony is full).
- Early History source; T.E. Champion, The Methodist Churches of Toronto, 1899 William Briggs, Toronto.