300 Bloor St. West in Toronto under construction, with move-in date planned for 2026
It’s official! The United, Anglican, and Presbyterian churches have signed leases to share national office space at the redeveloped site of Bloor Street United Church at 300 Bloor St. West in Toronto. The agreement reflects the churches’ ongoing commitment to nurturing ecumenical relationships and cooperation, to reducing costs, and to lessening their carbon footprint.
The Venerable Alan Perry, General Secretary of the Anglican Church of Canada; the Reverend Victor Kim, Principal Clerk at The Presbyterian Church in Canada, and the Rev. Michael Blair, General Secretary of The United Church of Canada, met at the construction site to see the progress of the project and to offer prayers of blessing for the safety and well-being of the construction workers.
“This opportunity to be together in this space came out of a relationship and conversation. We are excited about the possibility of the relationship and working together, with a commitment to ministry,” said the Rev. Blair, General Secretary of The United Church of Canada. “We collaborate to be witnesses in the healing of God’s world. So, I am excited and grateful for the possibilities.”
Located in downtown Toronto’s Annex-University of Toronto neighbourhood, the development includes a refurbished Bloor Street United Church and office, community, commercial, and worship spaces. The floor plans reflect a more efficient and flexible use of physical space for the new offices, and were drafted with input from all three denominations. The three denominations’ archives will also move to the new head office building and be shared, along with meeting and video spaces.
“The possibility of better ecumenical collaboration in this space will also allow us to make more effective use of our financial and human resources,” said Archdeacon Perry. “Being so close to good public transit allows for easy access to visitors to our offices and means we will have less impact on the environment.”
Besides being a practical solution for resource optimization, the shared space is also a tangible expression of the denominations’ commitment to collaboration, greater impact in the public space, and increasing the ability to innovate and share ideas between denominations.
“We’ve marked a formal agreement between the Presbyterian Church, the United Church, and the Anglican Church of Canada as we prepare to move in together in shared office space in a couple of years,” says the Reverend Victor Kim “I’m very excited about the possibilities of what this partnership will produce in the years to come. A happy day for all of us!”
Media
“Cielo Condos,” iDEALToronto.
Peter Kenter, “Toronto’s Bloor Street United Church to rise again following partial demolition,” Daily Commercial News (October 30, 2023).
Matthew Puddister, “National office plans 2026 move-in with United, Presbyterian churches,” Anglican Journal (September 8, 2023).
Josh Sherman, “This historic Toronto church is adding a 29-storey condo,” Streets of Toronto (April 4, 2023).
Anthony Teles, “Bulk Excavation Making Progress at Cielo Condos,” Urban Toronto (December 1, 2023).