St. Giles church will not receive heritage designation
- Robert
- 12 Jul 2018
St. Giles United Church is a beautiful relic of Hamilton’s past. Featuring Gothic Revival architecture and stained glass windows, St. Giles is an incredible depiction of the elegance that came with early twentieth century churches.
Despite being built in 1912, the 106-year-old church will not receive the heritage designation it needs to stay standing.
With a heavy heart, Rev. Ian Sloan shared with Hamilton’s city council that he and his congregation are no longer able to maintain the church.
To keep the church maintained, it costs $90,000 each year. To give St. Giles the proper repairs it needs, it would cost approximately $1 million.
Since the church’s 100 birthday, St. Giles was added to a list of properties that were due to be inspected for heritage designation. If it received the designation, demolishing the church would be illegal.
Outside of repair work, it is unclear why city council’s planning committee rejected giving St. Giles a heritage designation. As is, the church meets eight of the nine criteria needed to receive the designation.
City council has until Friday to make their final decision. While churchgoers and community members are hopeful the outcome will change, it isn’t likely.
Have you visited St. Giles United Church before? How do you feel about the demolition of should-be heritage buildings? Let us know in the comments.
Header image courtesy of Google, Inc..
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