Avenue Road Church, Gothic Revival church on Avenue Road in Toronto, Canada.
Avenue Road Church is a Gothic Revival church at the corner of Avenue Road and Roxborough Street in Toronto's Annex neighbourhood. The building features pointed arch windows, stone walls, and a tower that stands out clearly along the streetscape.
The building was completed in 1899 as the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant, designed by the firm Gordon & Helliwell. A fire in 1944 caused serious damage, but the church was fully restored in the years that followed.
The building is now the Toronto Hare Krishna Temple, Canada's largest Hare Krishna place of worship. It was sold to a buyer representing the Hare Krishna group in the mid-1970s, after the growing congregation left for Thornhill; a demolition permit was denied. Visitors today see a Hindu temple in a former Presbyterian and United church.
The building is protected as a heritage property under Ontario law, which means its exterior is maintained and cannot be altered. Since it remains an active place of worship, it is worth checking access times before visiting.
The building was left vacant for years before preacher Charles Templeton rented it in 1941 for $100 a month, without a congregation. His independent congregation grew so fast that he went into debt to build a balcony; soon after it was finished, a 1944 fire badly damaged the structure, and repairs were paid for by donations from Canada and the United States.
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