St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church comprises a large stone gothic revival-style church located in Penticton, British Columbia. The historic place includes the church on its corner lot and an adjacent wood frame hall.

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church has cultural and historic value because it is representative of the continuity of the Presbyterian tradition in Penticton, and aesthetic value for its gothic architectural details.

The first Presbyterian services were held in the Palace Hotel in 1904. With the Presbyterian and Methodist church union in 1925, a number of Presbyterians joined with Methodists in Penticton to form the Penticton United Church. However, a group of dissenting Presbyterians bought this property on Martin Street, and, in 1927, erected this church. This church is an important physical statement to the determination of a sector of the Presbyterian Church to remain independent. As a definitive statement, the church building committee decided to build the church with dressed local field stone. The decision to add the tall spire was made by the Toronto office of the national church.

Prominently located at the corner of Martin Street and Wade Avenue, the church, with its tall spire, makes a strong aesthetic statement and is a prominent feature in downtown Penticton. The gothic architectural details and the use of finely crafted dressed stone add to the church's architectural value. Compatible additions to the church in the early 1970s are a further indication of the cultural value of this church to the community.

SOURCE: City of Penticton Civic File

Key elements that define the heritage character of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church include its:

-Location on a prominent corner lot

-Gothic revival style of the church

-Architectural details, including tall gothic-arched windows and arched entrances

-Tall steeple

-Use of dressed local stone as a building material

-Compatible stone additions

-Adjacent office