Mergers and Movers

Centretown's United Churches kept on uniting after the national agreement that linked Canada's Congregational, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches in 1925. Two mergers in 1961 produced new churches with double-barrel names. A third church moved three times.

They represent all of the styles typical of church architecture. All three have their congregations sitting in the round. There is no central aisle focused on the altar.

McLeod Stewarton United Church

McLeod Stewarton United Church was the product of a union between the Gothic Revival Stewarton Presbterian Church at Bank and Argyle, and the McLeod Street Methodist Church one block away at Bank and McLeod. It has recently been dissolved. Today it is known as the Centretown United Church.
At the time of the union Stewarton's 1906 granite cornerstone was covered over with a new bronze plaque. In 1996 the plaque was stolen. The old stone, which had become too faded to read, was re-cut.
The Romanesque McLeod Methodist Church was built around 1890, with the front door facing onto McLeod. It was sold and demolished after the amalgamation.
Today it is an unprepossessing site, which should yield some interesting archeological finds when this parking lot is redeveloped. Interestingly enough the church merger re-united the name of the man who had separately given his first and last names to each of the churches - McLeod Stewart, scion of the pioneering family in this part of the city, and Mayor of Ottawa in 1887-88.

Dominion Chalmers United Church
Dominion Chalmers United Church at O'Connor and Cooper is Centretown's largest church. It has its own story of unification. It's a festive build-up of arched openings, Ohio stone trims, and Nepean sandstone chosen for its variety of colours. The belfry and campanile tower are empty.
It began as Chalmers Presbyterian Church, named after Thomas Chalmers, the man who had broken with the Church of Scotland. This neo-Byzantine building was designed by Alexander C. Hutchinson, a Montreal architect.

On February 4, 1961 the Dominion United (formerly Methodist) Church at Metcalfe and Queen was destroyed by fire. Attending the blaze was the Ottawa Fire Department Chief and Mayor Charlotte Whitton, whose face is etched with concern. It was a major fire that threatened to take out the whole block. After the fire, Dominion's congregation decided not to rebuild but instead to merge with Chalmers.

The Dominion Chalmers building had also been damaged by fire in 1955, which resulted in the refitting of its interior and the building of Woodside Hall. In 2005 there was a further expansion, with a new wing facing the parking lot (Robert Martin, Architect) which won the City of Ottawa's Architectural Conservation Award of Excellence.
First United Church
First United Church at Kent and Florence built three churches. This was its third and final home.

It started out at Elgin and Queen as the First Congregational Church in 1862, which was rebuilt in 1888. When they moved to Kent Street, they took the dual cornerstone with them.
The new cornerstone incorporated all three dates.
This house, now at 34 Florence Street, once stood at Florence and Kent. In 1911 to clear the way for First United it was moved halfway down the block and put on a new concrete foundation .
There was another merger in the offing when First United Church entered into discussions with McLeod Stewarton. These broke down when the two congregations could not reconcile their differences over the affirmation of gay and lesbian ministers, and the granting of same-sex marriages.

First United closed in 2005 and the building was sold to the Chinese Community Centre which provides cultural programming, social services, and a focus for the Chinese community in Ottawa. They face a daunting task in maintaining this almost century-old building.