Deal reached to study restoring 141-year-old downtown church

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The first steps are underway to explore how to repair a historic church and save it for future generations.

On Friday, CentreVenture Development Corp. announced it will support the first phase of a heritage rehabilitation study for Holy Trinity Anglican Church, which opened in 1884 at 256 Smith St.

Some members of the church have shared concerns that structural issues, foundation shifting and deeply cracked walls, with scaffolding now in place to protect the organ player from the risk of falling plaster, are hindering the 141-year-old building.

At present, the building remains “safe but concerning,” with past studies suggesting it could cost around $7 million to repair, said Rev. Naboth Manzongo.

“It’s still usable but it needs that restoration … The cracks have been widening … The challenge is finances and what we are looking at right now, the proposal that is there is not only to restore the building but also (set) the long-term sustainability goal for the church,” said Manzongo.

He said CentreVenture’s help to chart a path forward is welcome, while regular city inspections ensure the building offers services safely in the meantime.

The church brings back cherished memories for many Winnipeggers, some who’ve noted their great-grandparents were married in the building, while it also provides regular free lunches and other essentials to the homeless community, said Manzongo.

“It says a lot (about) who we are as Winnipeg … (and) it is a very important landmark,” he said.

With about 50 to 60 people attending the average Sunday service, the reverend said the church’s members would not be able to afford the repairs alone.

CentreVenture will provide $107,000 (half the cost) for the study through a city-funded heritage grant, which it administers in the downtown, while the church will pay the other half.

“It’s going to be a very complex project that’s going to require a multi-faceted approach to complete … (We’re) entering into an agreement to begin understanding what the church needs for its vital restoration. The church is 141 years old and has fallen into significant disrepair,” said Rochelle Squires, chief executive officer of CentreVenture.

Squires said the work will provide an updated estimate of the cost to repair the church, along with options to fund it and how to use its entire plot of land. That property includes the church, an addition to the building from the 1960s and a parking lot, she noted.

“We’re eager to support this project because we do recognize the historical significance of this church to the downtown … It tells the story of our downtown, the history of our community and … we certainly believe in the preservation of historic buildings to continue telling that story for generations to come,” she said.

The work is needed to prevent the building from becoming unsafe, said Rev. Simon Blaikie, administrator of the Diocese of Rupert’s Land, which includes the church.

“There aren’t many buildings from that period (left). It is esthetically beautiful to look at from the outside and from within … It is in a great location and it has a history of being very involved with the people in the downtown area,” said Blaikie. “The hope is that the building could be maintained and kept. I think demolition would be tragic, if that was to happen.”

Mayor Scott Gillingham said he supports the use of city funding to seek ways to preserve the church, though it’s too soon to say if the city could help pay for repairs.

“It would be a shame to lose this historic building in the heart of our downtown. This church has been at the centre of our city for well over a hundred years,” said Gillingham, a former Pentecostal pastor.

A few years before he was elected as a city councillor in 2014, the mayor delivered at least two sermons at Holy Trinity, as part of a minister exchange program.

“It was a faith community that worked to meet the needs of some of the people who were struggling in the downtown as well … (This effort is) also about what that building has always been at the centre of and that’s community,” said Gillingham.

Squires said there is no set timeline for the initial heritage study to be completed.

The parish, diocese, CentreVenture, and Monteyne Architecture signed a memorandum of understanding to undertake the study.

A designated national historic site, the church is also listed on the city’s list of historical resources.

The municipal heritage designation protects the building’s exterior and multiple character-defining elements against demolition, including some of its façade, detailing, beams, lighting, marble and stone columns, stained glass and pews.

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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Joyanne Pursaga
Reporter

Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in early 2020. Read more about Joyanne.

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