Metropolitan United Church

Metropolitan United Church has a long, dramatic history at 56 Queen Street East, and its architecture reflects two design periods that we still refer to as“before the fire" and “after the fire."

The fire, which destroyed nearly everything, happened in January, 1928.

Our distinctive tower is almost all that was left standing after the fire. Designed by architect Henry Langley, and dating to 1872, it is richly decorated in high-Victorian style. The current Sanctuary, by architect John Gibb Morton, dates from 1929 (after the fire), and embodies the English cathedral style with deep Chancel, clerestory, and side columns.

After the fire in 1928, all that remained standing of the 1872 church was the Langley-designed tower with its 23 bell carillon, the narthex, the rear portion of the balcony and the brick walls. Plans were made quickly to reconstruct the church with the help of the Massey family, of Massey-Ferguson fame.

The 1872 church was designed by architect Henry Langley. It resembled a fourteenth-century French Gothic cathedral, measuring 218 feet in length by 104 feet in width, with a central pinnacled tower at the main entrance. It had a seating capacity of 1,800 that could be increased to 2,400 for special events. Its size, coupled with the Gothic architectural style, led to its being called Canada's “cathedral of Methodism.".

While the interior of that building reflected the auditorium-oriented worship practices of late 19th century Methodism, times had changed by the time of the fire. Metropolitan became part of the United Church of Canada in 1925, and the current building reflects the much-favored cathedral architectural style of the 1920s with a deep chancel, clerestory and stained glass windows. In addition, Church House, with facilities for community service, was constructed as an extension of the Massey manse on the north side of the property.

The building remained largely unchanged until 2005-06, when we renovated Met's sub-basement, creating more than 11,000 square feet of usable space for church programs and community outreach.

Before 1872

Metropolitan's congregation was originally Methodist and was founded in 1818. Originally, it had no building: preaching was conducted from horseback to a group of assembled worshippers.

In November, 1818, it moved into a small chapel on King Street, near Bay. This building is now gone. The congregation soon outgrew this space and in 1831, a new site was acquired on Adelaide Street.

Two years later, the Newgate Street Methodist Episcopal Church, a new Georgian-style building, was solemnly dedicated to the sacred worship of Almighty God, with The Rev. William Ryerson, the silver-tongued orator, preaching at the morning and evening services. This building could accommodate 1,000 people, where men sat on the left and women sat on the right.