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Published on : November 04 2019
Last modified on : July 10 2025
Alert submitted by: Françoise Le Gris
The Anglican Church of St. Peter’s, located at 900 Boulevard Laird in Ville Mont-Royal, is a gem of the city’s architectural and urban heritage. Its prestigious location on one of Ville Mont-Royal’s most beautiful avenues, set in a green and tranquil site, gives it invaluable significance in the memory and present life of the Monterois.
The building, erected in 1940 by the architectural firm Perry, Luke and Little, is constructed in the style of an English Gothic parish church. It features a Norman-style bell tower, a sloping roof, and pointed arches above the doors and windows.
Inside, columns and an open ceiling supported by wooden trusses from British Columbia give it a distinctive character. Pairs of richly colored lancet stained-glass windows line the sides, and a five-petaled rose window occupies the southeast wall above the altar, while a large three-light lancet stained-glass window adorns the northwest wall. A large stained-glass window also fills the east transept. Robert McCausland created the stained glass between 1945 and 1955, while Theo Lubbers designed the window from 1979 located at the entrance. Later additions were made to the original building.
ÉGLISE ANGLICANE ST PETERS
Due to financial difficulties that prevented the Anglican congregation from maintaining and restoring the building, it was put up for sale, with the announcement made in May 2019. The building, purchased by the company SAJO and vacant since June 2018, is now threatened with demolition. The City of Mont-Royal has shown no desire or willingness to save the church from demolition.
However, in the case of St. Peter’s Church, as with other places of worship in the city, the obligation to protect the architectural integrity of the building is clearly stated in Bylaw 1317-15. The City of Mont-Royal has listed this building as part of its protected heritage but has taken no action to that effect. Furthermore, St. Peter’s Church appears on the list of “buildings of exceptional heritage value” in a study conducted by the Land Use and Heritage Enhancement Service of the Urban Development Department of the City of Montreal, published in 2005.
This building, dear to the residents of Mont-Royal, risks being replaced by a condominium building or any other structure whose purpose and function would tarnish an area of Mont-Royal’s urban and architectural history. We call on the city’s residents to intervene at all levels to protect this unique building, surrounded by its green enclave which is also threatened.
In 2019, the municipality of Mont-Royal organized a public consultation on the future of St. Peter’s Church. A report of the event can be found here.
In the summer of 2022, the church was sold to Les Placements Guerrera-Tedeschi Inc.
Mechanisms for protection
Urban landscape
Private company
Vacant
No upkeep
Demand for land, speculation
Inappropriate/incompatible use
Demolition
Perry, Luke and Little
SAJO, St. Peter Church
Religious
1940
National Historic Site of Canada of the Mont-Royal Model City; Building of exceptional heritage value; Located in an area of exceptional heritage value
How do you see this Montreal site? What legacy has it left us? What future can we create for it? Where to start to get there? Who wants to participate in the project?
You have questions? Want to do more, but lack the information? Consult our toolkit to learn more about the heritage of the Montreal metropolitan area, the preservation mechanisms in place and possible actions.
