Former Church of England Institute

The Church of England Institute is valued for its association with Bishop Hibbert Binney and architect Henry Busch. Bishop Binney was an active proponent of the use of the Gothic Style for use on Church buildings in the late 1800's, and he left a legacy which enabled the construction of this building that had an original purpose to "diffuse a knowledge of the Church's work." Busch was well versed in traditional European styles, and for this Institute he designed a highly decorative Gothic composition with an eye-catching, suspended side spire. Other buildings designed by Busch in Halifax include the Halifax Academy, and the Halifax Public Gardens Bandstand.

The Church of England Institute, one of several church-related institutional buildings on Barrington Street, is recognized architecturally because of its ornate, eclectic Victorian style and Gothic Revival features that include window arches, trims and roof dormers. The building's most prominent feature is an ornate corner oriel window connected to a single engaged column below and a turreted spire above. The building is a part of a trio of adjacent buildings constructed in the late nineteenth century in the same scale and proportion, and contributes to the High Victorian architectural ambience of the area.