Devine Street (Methodist) United Church, Sarnia

[johnny5]

Devine Street Methodist church was erected in 1900 on the southwest corner of Devine and John Sts. It was gutted by fire in 1914, but rebuilt and served until the early 1990's, when it was deemed unsafe and was pulled down. A parking lot now occupies the site. Became Devine Street United church in 1925.

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[ilmason]

A little bit more of Devine Street Methodist Church. Originally began as the second mission church of Central Methodist (now United) Church in 1875. (First mission established by Central Methodist Church was Parker Street Methodist [United after 1925]. Parker Street Church was established in 1873 and continued until the congregation dissolved in June, 2009.) In 1875, the Queen Street mission was established and first met in the South Ward Public School. In 1881, Lot 12 on the west side at the corner of Queen and Devine Streets was purchased and a church was built on it. In 1900, the church was moved to the lot at the southwest corner of Devine and John Streets. The new church was built on the same lot, immediately to the north of the old mission church. The fire of 1914 destroyed the old wood frame church. In the 1940s through the mid-1960s, this congregation averaged 600 people at worship and 1,000 students in the Sunday School. It was the second largest congregation among the county's 50+ United Churches. The building pictured (and the adjoining Webster Hall, not pictured) were demolished in June, 1983. An unfortunate and unwitting interior alteration caused the building's demise. In order to accommodate the church's membership growth in the 1950s, a large section of an interior bearing wall (the wall between the sanctuary and Webster Hall) was removed. The removal of this section of the east-west partition wall provided an unobstructed view into the church sanctuary from the Hall. Over the years, this caused serious sag in rafters and increased pressure on the outside walls. Shortly before the church building was condemned as unsafe, wooden braces were affixed to the west wall of the sanctuary. During demolition, when these braces were removed, witnesses watched this section of the exterior west wall of the sanctuary tumble down without any assistance from the demolition crew.

[ilmason]

The cornerstone (prominently placed between the two tower doorways) was inscribed: "Devine Street Methodist Church" on its north face; and "August 28th A.D. 1900 / R. W. Fawcett, Archt." on its east face.

[ilmason]

The architect was Sarnia-born resident Robert William Fawcett. Robert Hill, webmaster for the site, Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, 1800-1950, describes Fawcett's plan for Devine Street Church, "one of the largest commissions which he completed...an accomplished design in the Romanesque Revival style".