Knox Presbyterian Church
Dave Johnston - Volunteer Director
Knox Presbyterian Church - Earl Andrew, 7 July 2010
Knox Presbyterian Church, located on the corner of Elgin and Lisgar next to the former Ottawa Teachers College (now part of City hall), is one of the earliest Churches in Ottawa. Founded in 1844 when the city was a rough backwoods lumber town called Bytown. However, today’s structure only dates back to 1932 and is the third iteration.
Before 1844, there was one church each for the Anglicans, Catholics, Wesleyans, Methodists, and Presbyterians. A debate among Presbyterians in Scotland regarding state interference within the church spread to Canada causing a small group to leave St. Andrew’s Presbyterian and start a new church. This congregation named their church after John Knox the founder of Presbyterianism.
Knox Chruch’s Ottawa's first home was at the corner of Daly Avenue and Cumberland Street in a plain frame building measuring 40 by 60 feet. Seating was increased three times over the years until in 1865, part of the congregation left the overcrowded church to form what is today Dominion-Chalmers. These growing pains forced the congregation to the realization that it needed a larger building.
Although some church members opted to remain behind in what is today St. Paul’s Eastern United, land was acquired and a new church built on the former City Hall Square. Opened for worship in 1874, the new stone church was one of the most beautiful places of worship then in the city, its bold central gable flanked by two towers and three entrances across the front, each with its own steps and parapets. The interior featured 12 stained glass window and seating for 1,150 people. Prime Minister Mackenzie King’s dream for a more beautiful nation’s capital led to Knox’s relocation to its current home. A widening of Elgin Street caused the church to be expropriated and demolished. The current building, designed by architect Henry Sproatt, was opened for worship in 1932.
Designed in the Neo-Gothic Style, Knox features both English Gothic and Norman architectural features, two striking stained glass windows, both the creation of William Wilson from Edinburgh, Scotland; the Iona Mural painted in the downstairs hall by Knox member Molly Grendal; and a Garden Courtyard enjoyed by locals and visitors.
In addition to providing religious services and ministrations, Knox provides community meals with their Out of the Cold ministry every Saturday afternoon from November through April. The Out of the Cold (Centre 120) program was initiated by Knox Presbyterian Church in 1995. The purpose of the program is to invite neighbours in need from our community to a hot meal each Saturday during the cold months from November until March. Anywhere between 80 and 150 people are served each week.
Finally, Knox Church also hosts Candle Light concerts series in their ascetically and acoustically pleasing setting.