McLeod-Stewarton United Church
Encyclopedia
Centretown United Church is an historic church located in Ottawa
, Canada
at 507 Bank Street
at Argyle in the Centretown
area. It was built in 1906 as the Stewarton Presbyterian Church in 1906 using Gothic Revival architecture
under the architecture of Moses Chamberlain Edey
, (designer of Heritage site the Aberdeen Pavilion
and the Daly Building
. Centretown United Church is a member church of the United Church of Canada
.
The church was created on September 14, 2008 when McLeod-Stewarton United Church merged with Bell Street United. The building had previously been inhabited by McLeod-Stewarton.
city limits, on land owned by the family of former Ottawa mayor McLeod Stewart
. The building they chose was the Stewarton building, erected in 1906, and whose cornerstone was laid by Sir William Mortimer Clark
, Lt. Governor of Ontario.
McLeod Street Methodist Church was built in 1890 and had its cornerstone laid by Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald
.
During the 1950s the National Sunday Evening Hour broadcast from the church (then Stewarton).
In 2004, it voted against amalgamating with First United Church and against becoming an affirming church. The church is heavily involved with social programs in the community, and abroad. The church often sends a youth delegation abroad on Habitat for Humanity trips. Located on the second floor of the building is Centre 507 which is an outreach centre providing food and clothing for the neighbourhoods homeless population. The position of minister is currently vacant.
On May 25, in a joint service of both churches, the congregations voted on the new name of the amalgamated church, to be now called Centretown United Church.
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
at 507 Bank Street
Bank Street (Ottawa)
Bank Street is the major north-south road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It runs south from Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa, south through the neighbourhoods of Centretown, The Glebe, Old Ottawa South, Alta Vista, Hunt Club, and then through the villages of Blossom Park, Leitrim, South...
at Argyle in the Centretown
Centretown
Centretown is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada defined by the city as "the area bounded on the north by Gloucester Street and Lisgar Street, on the east by the Rideau Canal, on the south by the Queensway Freeway and on the west by Bronson Avenue." Traditionally it was all of Ottawa west of the...
area. It was built in 1906 as the Stewarton Presbyterian Church in 1906 using Gothic Revival architecture
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
under the architecture of Moses Chamberlain Edey
Moses Chamberlain Edey
Moses Chamberlain Edey was an Ottawa architect who designed the Aberdeen Pavilion at Lansdowne Park, a National Historic Site and the Daly Building which was Ottawa's first department store....
, (designer of Heritage site the Aberdeen Pavilion
Aberdeen Pavilion
The Aberdeen Pavilion is an exhibition hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Overlooking the Rideau Canal, it is located in Lansdowne Park, Ottawa's historic fairgrounds...
and the Daly Building
Daly Building
The Daly Building was an historic department store and office building in Ottawa, Canada that was demolished with much controversy in 1991-92....
. Centretown United Church is a member church of the 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...
.
The church was created on September 14, 2008 when McLeod-Stewarton United Church merged with Bell Street United. The building had previously been inhabited by McLeod-Stewarton.
Recent History
McLeod-Stewarton, which was created on November 19, 1961 when McLeod Street Methodist Church amalgamated with Stewarton Presbyterian Church (Stewarton being the original inhabitant). The church's original name is due to the area formerly being called Stewarton, then a village south of OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
city limits, on land owned by the family of former Ottawa mayor McLeod Stewart
McLeod Stewart
McLeod Stewart was an Ottawa lawyer and mayor of Ottawa from 1887 to 1888. He was born in Ottawa in 1847, the son of William Stewart, who represented Bytown in the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1844 to 1847....
. The building they chose was the Stewarton building, erected in 1906, and whose cornerstone was laid by Sir William Mortimer Clark
William Mortimer Clark
Sir William Mortimer Clark , KCMG, KC was a Canadian lawyer and politician.Born in 1836 in Aberdeen, Scotland, William Clark was educated at Marischal College and the University of Edinburgh. He came to Canada in 1859 and was called to the bar of Upper Canada in 1861...
, Lt. Governor of Ontario.
McLeod Street Methodist Church was built in 1890 and had its cornerstone laid by Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald
John A. Macdonald
Sir John Alexander Macdonald, GCB, KCMG, PC, PC , QC was the first Prime Minister of Canada. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, his political career spanned almost half a century...
.
During the 1950s the National Sunday Evening Hour broadcast from the church (then Stewarton).
In 2004, it voted against amalgamating with First United Church and against becoming an affirming church. The church is heavily involved with social programs in the community, and abroad. The church often sends a youth delegation abroad on Habitat for Humanity trips. Located on the second floor of the building is Centre 507 which is an outreach centre providing food and clothing for the neighbourhoods homeless population. The position of minister is currently vacant.
2008 Amalgamation
McLeod-Stewarton amalgamated with Bell Street United Church on September 14, 2008. The churches voted to amalgamate on May 4, 2008. http://www.bellstreetunitedchurch.com/| Church | Yes | % | No | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McLeod-Stwarton | 49 | 96.1% | 2 | 3.9% |
| Bell Street | 53 | 86.9% | 8 | 13.1% |
On May 25, in a joint service of both churches, the congregations voted on the new name of the amalgamated church, to be now called Centretown United Church.
McLeod Street Methodist Church
- C.S. Deeprose (1890–1891)
- George McRitchie (1891–1894)
- James Elliot (1894–1898)
- William Timberlake (1898–1902)
- Francis Lett (1902–1906)
- R.L. Richardson (1906–1908)
- W.J. Hunter (1908–1909)
- R. Peever (1909–1913)
- Isaac Gough (1913–1917)
- George McIntosh (1917–1922)
- H.A. Frost (1922–1926)
- C.F. Logan (1926–1932)
- W.D. Spence (1932–1938)
- A.E.M. Thomson (1938–1945)
- William H. Shaves (1945–1950)
- Arthur D. Waite (1951–1961)
Stewarton Presbyterian Church
- R.E. Knowles (1891–98)
- Robert Herbison (1898–1904)
- William A. McIlroy (1904–1916)
- Wesley Megow (1917–1925)
- F.S. Milliken (1925–1956)
- Herbert Reid (1956–1960)
McLeod-Stewarton United Church
- Matthew Taylor (1961–1977)
- Cyril S. Cook (1977–1994)
- Bill Jay (1994–2003)
- Grant Dillenbeck (2003–2005)
- Daniel Hayward (2005–2006)
- Sam Wigston (2007–2008)