St. Andrew's United Church Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St. Andrew's United Church
View of the church building in 2009
Location	117 Bloor Street East Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A9
Country	Canada
Denomination	United Church of Canada
Previous denomination	Church of Scotland

St. Andrew's United Church is a historic church in Toronto, Canada. It belongs to the United Church of Canada. You can find it in the city's downtown area, close to Yonge and Bloor streets. This church is special because it was formed by combining five other church groups from downtown Toronto.

The Story of St. Andrew's United Church
Images for kids
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The Story of St. Andrew's United Church

How it All Began: The First St. Andrew's

The church started way back in 1830. It was known as St. Andrew's Church then. It was the very first Church of Scotland group in what was called the town of York. The original St. Andrew's church building was located at Adelaide and Church Streets.

Moving and Splitting Up

By the 1870s, the church needed a new building. Most of the church members wanted to move west in the city. However, a smaller group wanted to stay in the old area. Because of this, the church members split. In 1876, the larger group moved to a new building at King and Simcoe streets. This building is still known as St. Andrew's Church today.

The smaller group stayed in the eastern part of town. They became known as "Old St. Andrew's." This group is the one that led to the St. Andrew's United Church we know today. In 1878, the Old St. Andrew's group built a new church at Jarvis and Carlton streets.

Joining the United Church of Canada

In 1925, a new church group was formed called the United Church of Canada. Old St. Andrew's decided to join this new group. The other St. Andrew's church on King Street chose to remain Presbyterian.

Bringing Churches Together: Mergers

Over the years, fewer people attended United Churches in downtown Toronto. So, several church groups decided to join together. St. Andrew's United Church today is the result of four other churches merging into it.

In 1950, Westminster-Central United Church joined with St. Andrew's. The combined church kept the name St. Andrew's. However, they moved from the Jarvis Street building to the Westminster-Central location on Bloor Street, near Yonge. The old Jarvis Street building was sold to other church groups.

The Westminster-Central Story

Westminster-Central itself was a combination of three older Toronto churches.

Westminster Presbyterian was the first church built on the Bloor Street site in 1891.
It merged with Grosvenor Street Presbyterian in 1921. Grosvenor Street's building was taken down to make way for the extension of Bay Street.
When the United Church of Canada was formed in 1925, Westminster then joined with Central Methodist Church. Central Methodist was located right across the street. This created Westminster-Central.

The Final Merger

The last church to merge with St. Andrew's was Yonge Street United Church in 1973. This church was originally located at Yonge and Summerhill. Its building was destroyed by fire in May 1971.

A New Home for St. Andrew's

The Westminster building that St. Andrew's used after 1950 was built in 1923. The original 1891 building had been destroyed by fire in 1920.

In the mid-1970s, the church members had a big discussion. The church needed money, but it owned very valuable land in Toronto. After much talk, they decided to tear down the old church building. In its place, they built an office tower above, and the church moved to the lower levels of this new building. This new complex was finished in 1981.

Today, the church at 117 Bloor Street East is a separate building. It faces Bloor Street and is set back in a courtyard called St. Andrew's Square. It is next to the office tower at 121 Bloor Street East. A part of the old church building was saved by the city of Toronto. It is now located further south on Yonge Street, marking the entrance to McGill Street. Other United Churches in Toronto, like College Street United Church and Parkdale United Church, also made similar changes during this time.

Images for kids

The first St. Andrew's, used from 1830-1878. Most members left St. Andrew's Church in 1876
Old St. Andrew's home to St. Andrew's from 1878 to 1950, today St. Andrew's Evangelical Lutheran Church
Westminster Presbyterian established in 1891, building destroyed by fire in 1920
Central Methodist merged with Westminster in 1925
Home of Yonge Street Methodist from founding in 1873 to destroyed by fire 1911
The Arch on Yonge Street that is all that remains of the Bloor St. church demolished in 1981