Diocese asks Regina council to remove heritage designation for St. Matthew Anglican Church
Hannah Spray | CBC News | Posted: February 15, 2023 3:00 PM | Last Updated: February 15, 2023
Shifting foundation on century-old building makes repairs too costly
A century-old church in Regina's Heritage neighbourhood could be headed for partial demolition, and perhaps a new life.
The diocese that owns St. Matthew Anglican Church on Winnipeg Street is asking city council to remove the property's heritage designation. Constructed in the 1920s in the "Gothic revival" style, the red-brick building is now cracking and leaning and unsafe for occupation.
The foundation, made of brick and clay tile, was not properly designed for Regina's soil conditions. The repairs needed to save the building are in the millions of dollars, money the Diocese of Qu'Appelle doesn't have.
"We are not in a position to use this heritage property in the way that it was designated," Rev. Mike Sinclair told the Regina Planning Commission on Tuesday. "But we are in a position to partner with a few other agencies to move forward to try to create a different community hub in that corner of the core neighbourhood. What stands in our way now is the heritage status itself."
The diocese has tried to repair and maintain the church, including with two grants totalling $57,000 provided by the city, but the rehabilitation work has become too expensive. A surveyor's report in 2018 pegged repairs at $3 million, and other reports have placed the total between $5 million and $10 million.
Removing the heritage designation, which applies mainly to the building's exterior, would clear the way for the diocese to redevelop the property.
In a "Vision for Purpose" document it submitted to the city, the diocese says it envisions keeping some of the external walls and using them in a new build "that serves the needs of the neighbourhood with a community hub and mixed use rental housing."
The plan, which includes renderings of two design options, is not binding, and the timing will depend on many factors, including city approvals and community consultations.
"That document represents a vision that is basically in its infancy," Sinclair said. "That is definitely our hope, to revamp the property in one of those two ways, or in something we haven't imagined yet."
The building is not being used for church services and has been closed to the public.
Starting in 2018, its congregation began a process to merge with four others in Regina and they now all are part of the Immanuel Anglican Church.
The Al Ritchie Community Association board of directors wrote a letter to the city stating they did not object to the removal of the heritage status, based on the owner's plans for redevelopment.
A careful demolition, preserving as much of the history as possible, is preferable to the building keeping its heritage status and falling into more disrepair, said Denis Simard, the association's executive director.
"From the community perspective, if we had the choice between saying that we were going to maintain a heritage status but have an abandoned building, which would unfortunately just hurt our community, or remove a heritage status in the hopes of providing new services and programs to our community members, that's the route that the board of directors chose," Simard said.
The church was designated as a municipal heritage property in 2005. Last year, the diocese made a written request to the city to remove the status.
On Tuesday, the Regina Planning Commission voted 8-1 to approve the request, and the matter will go to city council next week.