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Cathedral Church of the Redeemer
Calgary
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Church of the Redeemer, constructed 1904 to 1905 of rough-dressed, local sandstone, is an Anglican cathedral in downtown Calgary. The Gothic Revival-style building evokes an English parish church, and is distinguished by buttressed walls, pointed-arch stained-glass windows and a lofty barrel-vault ceiling. The cathedral serves as the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Calgary, and since 1949 has been known as the 'Cathedral Church of the Redeemer'.
Heritage Value
Commissioned in 1903, and inaugurated two years later, The Church of the Redeemer is among the finest and most substantial examples of Gothic Revival style architecture in Calgary.
Inspired by the smaller parish churches of rural England, its design is characterized by a lower and more compact form, and avoids the use of towers. The exterior of the dignified sandstone edifice features buttressed walls, pointed-arch windows and steep parapeted gable roofs. The plainly finished, but lofty, interior is impressive for its ribbed, barrel-vault, truss ceiling, 1906 Casavant Freres pipe organ, and 38 stained-glass windows. Three of the windows are among the oldest stained glass windows in Calgary, being taken from the first Church of the Redeemer, built in 1884; the earliest of these windows dates from 1892. The other stained glass windows date from 1892-1977 and were produced by McCauland Co. of Toronto, Spence Brothers of Montreal, and William Morris and Co. of Merton Abbey, England. Other notable interior elements include a carved oak rood screen, dedicated by Edward Prince of Wales in 1919, and elaborately carved pulpit, altar and sanctuary panelling. The church was enlarged 1935-36 with a matching chapel located at the southeast corner.
In charge of the building's original design was John C. M. Keith, a prolific Victoria, BC architect. The Scottish-born Keith is best known for his 1891 design of the elaborate Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria, built 1926-1994.
The Church of the Redeemer's sandstone was obtained from the local Lewis Quarry - located between West Nose Creek and Nose Hill Park - which supplied the sandstone for many early Calgary buildings including Stephen Avenue's Imperial Bank (1892) and City Hall (1911).
The Church of the Redeemer has been integral to the cultural, spiritual and social life of the Calgary community since it was finished in 1905. Since that time it has been the home and place of worship, for a congregation that first met in November 1883. In 1905 this church replaced the first Anglican church to be built in Calgary - the congregation's original 1884 wood-frame church. That church was located immediately to the east of the present church, making the Church of the Redeemer's location the home to an Anglican congregation since 1884. Throughout its history, the church has hosted a wide array of cultural and social events and anchored an array of community and church organizations.
With the early establishment of the church, its congregation comprised many of Calgary's earliest pioneer families with British backgrounds, including a large number of the community's most well-known business and civic leaders: rancher and businessman William Roper Hull; lawyer and Prime Minister of Canada R. B. Bennett; irrigation pioneer William Pearce; and brewer A.E. Cross. A selection of the congregation's early members are commemorated in plaques and tablets lining the walls of the nave.
Additionally, the Church is an important Anglican institution being the seat of the Diocese of Calgary, since 1889 when the Calgary diocese was established. At that time the original church obtained status as the 'Pro-Cathedral', and since then the Diocese has been led from the Church of the Redeemer. In 1949, the church was bestowed with the title of 'Cathedral' when it was finally determined that a larger church would not be constructed, and the existing church would be the permanent, main church of the diocese.
The church is known as one of the most significant landmarks in downtown Calgary. Its impressive Gothic design, and long-standing role in Calgary's cultural fabric -- combined with its visibility along Seventh Avenue, the primary transit corridor in downtown Calgary -- lend the church this landmark status.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the Cathedral Church of the Redeemer include such features as
Exterior:
- masonry construction with rough-dressed sandstone finish comprising walls, buttresses parapets, pinnacles and chimneys;
- steeply pitched cross-gable roofs with pressed metal shingle cladding;
- pointed-arch windows and doors; 38 leaded and stained-glass windows; and
- commemorative cornerstones.
Interior:
- apse form with configuration divided into two foyers, narthex, nave, chancel, sanctuary, side chapel, balcony and ancillary rooms;
- lofty barrel-vault and truss ceiling with pine ribbing supported by large open arched supports;
- plainly finished plaster walls and ceilings;
- organ pipes and carved-wood cases ;
- carved wood panelling (reredos) of the sanctuary and balcony balustrade;
- carved oak rood screen (1919), carved oak pulpit and carved wood altar; and
- numerous memorial plaques lining the walls of the sanctuary.
Context:
- the setback of soft landscaping along the south side of the church.
Location
| Street Address: |
218 - 7 Avenue SE |
| Community: |
Calgary |
| Boundaries: |
Lots 34 to 40, Block 41, Plan A |
| Contributing Resources: |
Building: 1
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ATS Legal Description:
PBL Legal Description (Cadastral Reference):
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Plan |
Block |
Lot |
Parcel |
A
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41
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31-40
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Latitude/Longitude:
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Latitude |
Longitude |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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51.046696 |
-114.059958 |
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NAD 83 |
UTM Reference:
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Northing |
Easting |
Zone |
CDT |
Datum Type |
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Recognition
| Recognition Authority: |
Local Governments (AB) |
| Designation Status: |
Municipal Historic Resource |
| Date of Designation: |
2018/02/20 |
Historical Information
| Built: |
1905 to 1905 |
| Period of Significance: |
1885 to 1905 |
| 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): |
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| Architect: |
John Charles Malcolm Keith
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| Builder: |
Alberta Building Co.
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| Context: |
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Additional Information
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