Donnerstag, 8. Juni 2017

The “new” Church: Robson Memorial United Church (1925)


Cornerstone of  Robson Memorial United Church
(c) Kristina Breit



The cornerstone for the new church building was laid in the fall of 1925 started under Reverend Samuel Cook. 

The building was designed by the architect Honeyman and Curtis[i] and the building contract was given to Steward and Coltart[ii]. The new construction was estimated to cost between $15.000[iii] and $17.000[iv]. The new church was expected to host about 310 people in the sanctuary and about 260 people in the basement room, which was designated for Sunday School. 

In the article in the Journal of Commerce of August 7th 1925 the new building is described as follows:

Robson Memorial United Church in 1962
picture taken at the occasion of the first service
of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church
(c) St. Mark's Archives
“The edifice will be of frame construction with shingle exterior, built on concrete foundation. Half-timber gables and clerestory dormers which run well above the main eaves will relieve the severity of the roof lines, while this service for the walls will be secured by heavy buttress work carrying hammer-beam trusses.
The interior will have an open-timber ceiling as far as the collar tie of the hammer-beam trusses, the rafters and purlins being left exposed in natural finish. The choir and pulpit are place in a shallow apse enclosed with a depressed Gothic arch, and the organ will be placed at the rear (authors note: “of the pulpit”[v]), enclosed by a subsidiary arch. The floor of the auditorium is sufficiently sloped for every seat to have a clear view of the choir and pulpit.
The basement will be reached through the center of the south front. Radiating partitions will permit all screened-off classes to have an unobstructed view of a central speaker.”[vi]

The new church also included a “Ladies Room”, vestries, cloakroom, lavatories, and a room for the heating. 

Altar with pulpit and lectern in 1962
(c) St. Mark's Archives
The new church, opened in December 1925[vii], was named “Robson Memorial United Church” as the congregation had joined the United Church in earlier in the year.[viii]
In the early 60s the congregation of Robson Memorial United Church amalgamated with Cedar Cottage United Church, located at 4010 Victoria Drive (today Vancouver Japanese United Church)[ix]. The new church was now named St. Luke’s United Church.[x]   



Inside of Church 2017
(c) Kristina Breit
The congregation of St. Luke’s United Church sold the lots and its buildings (1553, 1573 and 1593 E18th Avenue) to St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1962 for the sum of $39.500.
The church (1593 E 18th Avenue) and “Old Parsonage” (1553 E 18th Avenue) are still standing in place, with some alterations made over the years.[xi]
The old church building, located at 1573 E18th Avenue, was demolished in 1966. For almost 10 years the lot was vacant and used as a garden, until a new parsonage was built on the lot in 1975. 

The “Old Parsonage” is today partly rented out (top floors) and partially used as Sunday School house and meeting-room for church groups (ground floor and parts of basement).


[ii] See Municipality of South Vancouver, Building Permit 8697 from Sept. 22nd 1925 and the Articles in the Journal of Commerce (JOC) from July 10th 1925 and August 7th 1925.
[iii] See Article in Journal of Commerce from July 10th 1925.
[iv] See Municipality of South Vancouver, Building Permit 8697.
[v] See Article in the Journal of Commerce from July 10th 1925.
[vi] See Article in the Journal of Commerce from August 7th 1925.
[ix] See https://www.memorybc.ca/st-lukes-united-church-vancouver-b-c - The Vancouver Japanese United Church purchased the building from St. Luke’s United Church in 1978.
[x] The information on memorybc.ca shows, that the amalgamation has happened first in 1965. Yet in the transfer and purchasing records of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, the Church selling the properties and buildings to St. Marks in 1962 is already named “St. Luke’s United Church”.
[xi]  See Maintenance Records of St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church. Available upon request from the church office.

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The “new” Church: Robson Memorial United Church (1925)

Cornerstone of  Robson Memorial United Church (c) Kristina Breit The cornerstone for the new church building was laid in the fall o...