With the recent visit to Central United Church for the purpose of their Doors Open Campaign, history fell into my lap.
This place, located at 628 Ouellette Avenue, is often referred to as, “That church next to Shoppers Drug Mart”. With the hustle and bustle of downtown, we fumble past places of worship and historic prominence with such ease.
Let’s begin by taking you on a virtual tour of the church in this short video below. I tried to get a view of the dome from the inside of the church, as well as the pews, balcony, pipe organ, and stained glass windows.
Before the video, here’s a look at the outside of this building.
Having met Dan Bryant, a church council member, and getting a tour of Central United has been one of the highlights of Downtown WO. The details about Central United are wonderful, including the news that the gigantic green dome is actually oxidized brass. Copper and zinc, when oxidized, turns green. And this building has been in its current spot for 106 YEARS!
I’ll mention the obvious right off the bat, as it is so remarkably overpowering when you walk in the church, one has to wonder at its crafting. The pipe organ that sits majestically behind the altar is over 60 years old. I wasn’t able to hear it, but I’m told it’s, well, heavenly.
Other details within the church are the phenomenal stained glass windows. The day I went in, the sun shone brightly through those windows, as if “someone” was trying to emphasize this sacred site. Without turning on a light, the sunshine exposed the detail of written affirmations around the church where the ceiling meets the wall. In some places its only ten feet off of the ground. Above the altar, it’s closer to 30 feet high.
The building itself was designed by Detroit architects, Kastler & Hunter, who also designed a bunch of churches in Detroit. On the outside of the building you can see the two cornerstones. The one on the right hand side of the facade is dated 1873, which was when the original church was built at the corner of Chatham Street and Windsor Avenue. A fire in destroyed the church on January 4, 1904. The second cornerstone, placed during the construction of the current 106-year-old replacement church is on the left hand side of the facade.
What I think is most moving, though, are the accounts of the people who go to this church. When the first piece ran about this church, there were comments on the story that I felt needed to be highlighted here, in the second piece. I know that not everyone reads the comments, or decides to leave them, but these rang true as passionate, and I’ll place them here for you to understand how much this building means to other Windsorites.
It has been my blessing and joy since 1999 to be a part of the Central United Church family, to sing on a regular basis as a choir member and soloist, and to direct the Junior and Youth. Central has a long history of music excellence during its 106 years in this building alone for Sunday services, public concerts, music festivals, 12th Night concerts, Junior and Youth Choir musicals and variety shows, solo recitals, Silver Bells (hand bells), a Seniors’ Band, and The Greater Windsor Concert Band at our Welcome Sunday services each September. In fact, the church as a congregation has been in existence since 1804! Please join us for our upcoming concerts and Sunday services. – Sandra Miller Radvanyi
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I began working for Central United Church in 1996 and was very impressed by the giving nature of this congregation. On the first Sunday of each month individuals bring food to the church which is collected for the Downtown Mission. If every church in the city did this just think of how many people would be helped.
Over the years there have been great community projects — initiated by the Minister, Rev. Craig Drummond. For example the Community Kitchen which ran in collaboration with the Windsor Health Unit and taught single parent families how to cook nutritious hardy meals and to budget to do this. One of the most wonderful programs was the Baby Formula Program which ran for over 10 years. It focused on weekend help for families who needed help to buy their formula for their infants up to 1 year of age. Every Saturday, come rain or shine teams of individuals would meet and give out baby formula particularly since there were no other organizations in the city where families could get this assistance from on the weekend. Many other charitable works have been accomplished over the years.Our situation, at Central is this — we too are experiencing a sign of the times. Because of this failing economy we can no longer afford many of the programs that have been at the heart of Central’s mission in the downtown core. The open door campaign is just that — a hope to keep this church open and to restore it to the vibrant mission of dedicating themselves, reclaiming their Mission Statement of “being a witness to Christ in the downtown area.” As you look at the inside of this Church there is no denying that it is truly beautiful. However if you were to come out to a Sunday Service at 11:00 a.m. you would experience what truly makes this church shine — it’s people. As you listen to the choir sing , experience children’s time, and hear a sermon given by Rev. Craig you are assured to find some peace. You will be welcomed and invited to join them for coffee after the service. I am not a member of this church but I have viewed video of many of the Serviceswhich used to be taped on a weekly basis and delivered to people in nursing homes.
I hope that you will help them to continue their good works and come out to the upcoming concerts and/or just donate what you can to their cause. Many hands make the work light. – Virginia Turner
Many thanks for the comments on this blog, especially ones like these that make this endeavor that much more rewarding.
Anyone wanting to see/learn more about this building, International Metropolis has some amazing images of the church’s early days, including the laying of the current church’s cornerstone 106 years ago! Click HERE and/or HERE for both links to the blog’s posts about Central United Church.
Thanks again to Dan Bryant for showing me around.
And if you have any suggestions for historic stories about downtown Windsor that you’d like to have Neil Helmer and I find out, just e-mail!
