Here stands St. James’ Anglican Church. It is more than just a building. It is a testament to faith and resilience in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.
St. James’ Parish has stood on this site since 1886. The current church, the third on this location, was completed in 1937. But the parish’s story began much earlier.
The first St. James’ Church was built in 1881. It stood on Alexander Street in Granville, now Gastown. Captain James Raymur sponsored it. He managed Hastings Mill. This original church met a fiery end. The Great Vancouver Fire of June 13, 1886, destroyed it. The church bell melted. It became a puddle of metal. This melted bell is now displayed at the Museum of Vancouver.
After the fire, the Canadian Pacific Railway donated land. The second St. James’ Church was built there in 1886. It was an English country-style building made of wood. It was always meant to be temporary.
In 1935, the second church was torn down. Construction began on the present St. James’. Adrian Gilbert Scott designed it. He was from the renowned Scott family of architects. Sharp and Thompson, Vancouver architects, oversaw the construction. Scott described his design as a modern version of fourteenth-century Gothic.
The architecture of St. James’ is unique. It combines Art Deco, Romanesque Revival, Byzantine Revival, and Gothic Revival styles. The walls are made of reinforced concrete. The roof is slate. The church has an eight-bell chime. Its organ is a Casavant Frères with 1,760 pipes.
St. James’ was the first Anglican parish in Vancouver. It was formerly Granville. Christ Church was established as a daughter church in 1888. It later became Christ Church Cathedral. St. Paul’s Anglican Church was another daughter church. It was established in 1889.
The worship tradition at St. James’ is Anglo-Catholic. Daily Morning and Evening Prayer services are held via Zoom. Mass is celebrated daily. A Solemn Mass is sung every Sunday.
St. James’ has a rich history of community service. May Gutteridge revitalized a Pensioners’ Club in the church basement in 1961. This grew into the St. James Community Service Society. It is now one of Vancouver’s largest social service agencies. It helps about 2,000 people each month.
The church building is an octagon rising from a Greek Cross plan. Massive walls have Art Deco fluting. Stylized gargoyles step up to a pyramid belfry. Daylight filters through Gothic lancets.
St. James’ continues to be a beacon of hope. It serves the Downtown Eastside community. It provides spiritual guidance. It offers social services. St. James’ stands as a testament to faith. It embodies architectural beauty and compassionate outreach.