St. Francis Xavier Church/Strathcona Church

Designed in 1910, this structure was originally built for the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church on the corner of what was then Carl Avenue and Princess Street. Over the years, the church had various congregations: St. Mary’s Ukranian Greek Church, St. Stephen’s Greek Catholic Church, and Korean Foursquare Gospel Church.

Standing tall of the corner of a residential area, the church acts as a prominent architectural feature and visual focal point for the surrounding neighbourhood.

The church retains much of its original fabric, including original brickwork, stained glass windows and interior features such as wooden pews and millwork. The church was built in a Gothic Revival style. This French style was preferred by the Roman Catholic Diocese in Vancouver.

The building was renamed Strathcona Church in 2013.

In 2014, the church was repainted to heritage colours with the help of the of a VHF True Colours grant.

In 2015, the building won a City of Vancouver Heritage Award.

Source

Don Luxton and Associates: 431 Princess Street Heritage Summary 2013; Exploring Vancouver: An Architectural Guide, Harold Kalman and Robin Ward

More information

http://churchforvancouver.ca/a-church-for-churches-opens-in-strathcona/