Bloor Street United Church
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bloor Street United Church is a United Church of Canada church located at 300 Bloor Street West in downtown Toronto, near the intersection with Huron Street. The church is just north of the University of Toronto, and between the Spadina and St. George Subway Stations.
The church began as a Presbyterian congregation in 1887 to serve the rapidly growing population of northern Toronto with the church building opening in 1890. In 1924, the church voted by a substantial majority to join the United Church. Three years later a potion of the church was demolished when the city decided to widen Bloor Street.
The church grew greatly in size in the 1940s and 1950s as an influx of immigrants arrived in the area. The congregation was so large that on several occasions Massey Hall was rented to hold some services. It was decided to renovate the church, however, in 1954 as these were nearing completion a fire broke out and the church was badly damaged and most of the sanctuary destroyed. Money was quickly raised to rebuild the church and in the interim the congregation met at nearby churches and Convocation Hall.
As with many of the downtown Toronto churches Bloor United is today noted for its progressivism. It has a large Equal Marriage Committee working to advance the cause of same-sex marriage in the church and the wider community. The church is also home to a free medical clinic catering to Toronto's homeless population.
