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Knox United Church
Calgary
Other Names:
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Knox Presbyterian (United) Church
Knox Presbyterian Church
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Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
Knox United Church, built 1912-13, is a prominent Gothic Revival style church located in the centre of downtown Calgary. The church features a cruciform plan with seating for 1200, a side tower and an administrative wing. Distinctively finished sandstone cladding characterizes the exterior of the church. The church also comprises a Modernist style rear extension that was built 1959-60. The property was protected as a Provincial Historic Resource in 1980 and as a Municipal Historic Resource in 1999.
Heritage Value
Knox United Church, built 1912-13 is the fourth home of the oldest Protestant congregation in Calgary. The congregation first met June 17, 1883 and was officially organized as Knox Presbyterian Church on November 21, 1883. The establishment of Knox also represented the second field mission to be occupied by the Presbyterian Church in the District of Alberta.
Knox United Church is closely associated with many of Calgary's prominent and well-known pioneers as their place of worship. Contributing significantly to the founding and development of Knox Church was member Col. James Walker, an original Northwest Mounted Police officer, and later one of the city's most significant businessmen and civic leaders. Chosen in 1975 as Calgary's "Citizen of the Century," Walker funded the construction of the original church in 1883 and remained an active member of the church until his death in 1936. Other well-known early members of the church included I. K. Kerr, president of the Eau Claire and Bow River Lumber Co.; Dr. Andrew Henderson, Calgary's first civilian physician; T. J. S. Skinner a real estate developer; and R. J. Hutchings, of the major Calgary business, Great West Saddlery.
Knox United Church is also significant for its architecture, being one of Calgary's largest historic churches and the city's most impressive example of Gothic Revival style design. Inspired by the Perpendicular Gothic architecture of Britain in the 14th-16th centuries, Knox features a cruciform plan with side tower and is characterized by the building's straight lines and the vertical emphasis of its massing and detailing. Exterior elements contributing to its Perpendicular-inspired character include its long wall buttresses and its large pointed-arch windows that contain panel tracery of carved stone. Its lofty tower placed it among the tallest structures in the city for many years. The church exterior is clad with local sandstone obtained from the Bane and Leblanc Quarry that operated in the Shaganappi area of the city. A particularly unique feature of the church is the finish of the exterior, which comprises irregularly coursed stone with hammer-dressed pitting.
The interior of Knox United Church contains seating for 1200 worshipers, which combined with the architectural merit of the structure, earned Knox the title, 'Cathedral of the West.' Notable features of the interior include its steel truss roof cased in wood to resemble heavy-timber construction, its oak paneling and detailing, and the Arts and Crafts style clay tile floor of the narthex. Knox also houses a 5018-pipe, 92-stop, Casavant-Freres organ, which was installed in 1913. The organ was the largest and most versatile organ west of Toronto, despite being somewhat smaller originally. Today, it is second in size only to that of the one in Calgary's Jack Singer Concert Hall. Thirty-four stained glass windows installed 1921- 60, including the large WWI memorial window, dedicated in 1921, contribute to the magnificence of the structure. The window was manufactured at the Pittsburgh Glass Co. of Minneapolis, which was renowned for its ecclesiastical work. The window comprises 9,982 individual pieces of European, antique-type glass.
The church was designed by the Boston architectural firm of Allen and Collens, which was one of the preeminent American firms working in the Gothic Revival style during the 1910s and 1920s. It was the favoured firm of John D. Rockefeller who retained them to design several famous New York structures under his patronage, including the Park Avenue Baptist Church (1920), the monumental Riverside Church (1926-30) and The Cloisters (1934-38). The firm had earlier designed New York's landmark Union Theological Seminary (1906-10), Harvard's Andover Hall (1910-11), as well as many buildings at Vassar College. The Calgary architectural firm of Lawson and Fordyce was the supervising firm of the project.
Source: City of Calgary, Heritage Planning File 01-168
Character-Defining Elements
The exterior character-defining elements of the Knox United Church include such features as its:
- straight-line, vertical massing and cruciform plan with side tower, narthex (foyer), and two-storey, side-elevation extension;
- sandstone finish comprising irregularly coursed and sized stone units, smoothly dressed and tooled with pitting;
- Gothic Revival features such as wall buttresses; parapeted gables; lancet windows and pointed arch openings and windows with stone mullions and panel tracery; label mouldings; panel tracery; carved doorway spandrels;
- battened oak doors with wrought-iron strap hinges and hardware and leaded glazing;
- wooden-sash, leaded windows on the side elevation extension.
Location
| Street Address: |
506 - 4 Street SW |
| Community: |
Calgary |
| Boundaries: |
Lots 14 to 18, Block 27, Plan SC |
| Contributing Resources: |
Buildings: 1
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ATS Legal Description:
|
Mer |
Rge |
Twp |
Sec |
LSD |
5
5
5
5
|
1
1
1
1
|
24
24
24
24
|
15
15
15
15
|
11 (ptn.)
12 (ptn.)
13 (ptn.)
14 (ptn.)
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PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):
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Plan |
Block |
Lot |
Parcel |
C
C
C
C
C
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27
27
27
27
27
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18
17
16
15
14
|
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Latitude/Longitude:
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Latitude |
Longitude |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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51.047956 |
-114.071094 |
Secondary Source |
NAD83 |
UTM Reference:
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Northing |
Easting |
Zone |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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5659656.02555 |
284736.957883 |
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Digital Maps |
NAD83 |
Recognition
| Recognition Authority: |
Local Governments (AB) |
| Designation Status: |
Municipal Historic Resource |
| Date of Designation: |
1999/05/17 |
Historical Information
| Built: |
1912 To 1913 |
| Period of Significance: |
1959 To 2004 |
| Theme(s): |
Building Social and Community Life : Religious Institutions
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| Historic Function(s): |
Religion, Ritual and Funeral : Religious Facility or Place of Worship
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| Current Function(s): |
Religion, Ritual and Funeral : Religious Facility or Place of Worship
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| Architect: |
Allen and Collens
F. J. Lawson (supervising)
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| Builder: |
Fyshe, McNeill, Martin, Trainer
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| Context: |
This is the fourth house of worship built by the Knox Presbyterian Church, founded in 1883, and the oldest protestant congregation in Calgary. The first wooden church structure was founded by Colonel James Walker, the second and third churches erected by this rapidly growing congregation were built of stone. The congregation joined the United Church of Canada in 1925. The present building, erected in 1912-13, seats 1,200, and was one of several large churches constructed in downtown Calgary at the time. Its architect was F.J. Lawson, a Scot who had come to Calgary in 1902, and who worked in association with Allan & Collens of Boston.
The excellent design in the Gothic Revival style features dignified proportions, a tall and stately corner tower, and very fine stonework. Some of the particularly fine carved features are the spandrels surrounding the main entrance, the crenellated parapet at the top of the tower, and the intricate tracery in the windows. The windows are glazed with impressive and attractive stained glass. The largest window is the World War One memorial window, which was installed in 1921. The original Casavant organ was rebuilt in 1957, and with its 4,355 pipes, was claimed at the time to be the largest and best organ west of Toronto.
A new Christian education building, known as Knox Hall, was built in 1959-60 to the designs of J.M. Stevenson and associates. This addition is sited sufficiently far from the main body of the church that it in no way detracts from the design. The school and church received minor fire damage in 1980. The church was designated a Provincial Historic Resource on July 4, 1980. (1982) The large sandstone courthouse built in 1912-14 was Calgary's second. The first courthouse, built in 1888 by the federal government, stood on the same block as did the former Land Titles Office. The building was designed by A.M. Jeffers, supervising architect for the province and designer of the legislative buildings as well as numerous other public structures. Jeffers was relieved of his post during construction of the Calgary Court House, and was replaced by Richard P. Blakey, who produced the final designs.
As built, the courthouse is an austere but good example of the Neo-Classical Revival. Ornament is restricted to the central frontispiece whose deeply grooved ashlar around the arched entrance gives the effect of rusticated stonework. Four Doric columns are inserted in the opening on the second level, and carved brackets and a heavy dentilled cornice tops the composition. The remainder of the façade is plain but well-proportioned, with continuous grooves marking the division between floors, and rough-faced sandstone at the basement. The interior of the building was altered in 1923-24. In 1962 this courthouse was replaced by a new building erected one block to the east. This building served as the home of the Glenbow-Alberta Institution between 1964-1975, until the completion of the present Glenbow Museum. The courthouse was designated as a Provincial Historic Resource in 1977. (1982)
Renovations complete in 1986 returned the building to courthouse use and offices for the Court of Appeal. (1991)
The Calgary Chapter of the Independent Order of Oddfellows, was founded in 1884 and claimed some of Calgary's most prominent citizens. Architect D.S. McIlroy, designed the building in 1910 and the structure was completed in 1912. The four-storey brick building is relatively ornate in design, with three tiers of superimposed stone pilaster straps reaching from the base to the cornice. The arched windows of the top floor illuminated the Grand Hall of the Oddfellows; these arches originally contained a lower arched opening with a roundel above, but both were combined into a single plate glass window in recent renovations. The Oddfellows sold the building in 1971 and vacated it shortly thereafter. The Calgary Chamber of Commerce purchased the building in 1979 and adapted it as its new home. Aside from the change to the windows noted above, the exterior has been well restored. Some interior details were retained in the renovations. (1982)
Sandstone repairs and selective restoration of storefront elements at ground level were undertaken in 1990-91. (1991)
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Additional Information
| Object Number: |
4664-0089 |
| Designation File: |
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| Related Listing(s): |
4665-0545
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| Heritage Survey File: |
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| Website Link: |
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| Data Source: |
City of Calgary Heritage Planning File 01-168 |
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