Sunday, February 17, 2013

Downtown Church

This is the Church Of The Redeemer which I gave you a peek of in yesterday's post. This Anglican church was completed in 1879 at Bloor St and Avenue Rd and had a flourishing congregation until the 1970s when faced with mounting debt, the church sold off their land surrounding the building and actually also sold the air rights above the church. This enabled developers to build a condo complex around the church and use the air rights to go higher than would normally be allowed for this site, and enabled the church to do major renovations to this old Gothic Revival structure. This is one of the busiest corners in the city with the Royal Ontario Museum  (ROM) located diagonally across the intersection and Queen's Park directly south. 

15 comments:

Sharon said...

I just have to say, the contrast between the two buildings is stunning. This photo is gorgeous.

Anonymous said...

Bizarre :)

Lowell said...

It is a beautiful structure and I'm glad they were able to save it. I really like the juxtaposition between the old stone and the newer concrete and glass. I believe there's a similar church/skyscraper combination in New York City. Excellent photo, Pat!

Jackie McGuinness said...

Ah yes, know that corner well! Beautiful photo!

Anonymous said...

Amazing! Couldn't possibly be more contrasting!

Deb said...

Wow! Hard to believe how many homes they built over the old churchyard!

Linda said...

Stunning contrast. I hope some people from the condo attend the church!

Jack said...

Oddly enough, I think the two forms work well together. Both are attractive in their own ways.

Randy said...

Poor thing is really overshadowed by that rather large building.

Andy said...

I remember when I was was kid going to the museum. It was the first thing I would see getting of the streetcar.

Unknown said...

I believe you found the best angle to show these buildings. The contrast is amazing! Great shot!

ArtandArchitecture-SF.com said...

While it worked well for all, you really want to question the motives of the developer, sometimes profit margins should be left on the table. I am sure they could have still made a fortune and not been quite so imposing. On the other hand, thank goodness the church has been saved and renovated.

PerthDailyPhoto said...

It's amazing how many old churches were built on street corners, I guess when they were built the idea of highrise towers like these were not even thought possible. The contrast is shown perfectly here Pat, super shot.

EG CameraGirl said...

Ah! This is a church I recognize. This photo shows how big buildings are engulfing the old.

William Kendall said...

A huge contrast, Pat!