#central technical school

Toronto—Central Technical School

Why I Love Randolph Centre for the Arts: An artful conversion

Converted

A while back I wrote a post in regards to churches being converted into condominiums. Today I present another use for churches once they close - a theatre. The Randolph Centre for the Arts occupies the former Bathurst Street Wesleyan Methodist Church, which was built in 1888 in a Gothic style of architecture. The church is famous because the first Prime Minister of Canada, Sir John A. MacDonald, laid the buildings cornerstone. In the ‘20s the church became a United Church. 

A faith testing challenge

The church began seeing a decline in attendance and therefore began renting its space out. In the 1950′s the church was rented out for art performances such as concerts and plays. In 1985 the congregation abandoned the church and it became a permanent theatre. In 2001 the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts called the building home.

In with the dramatics

There are two theatres on the site. The Randolph Theatre, which was one The Bathurst Theatre, has two levels for seating. The main floor seats up to 263, while the  the balcony has pews which seat up to 255 patrons. The Randolph Theatre has many stunning Gothic features including spiral staircases and stunning stained glass windows.

(Courtesy of Randolph Academy)

The Annex Theatre, the smaller of the two has a rather similar set up as the Ossington Theatre. Mind you this is just from pictures, I have never been to this portion. From what I noticed the most striking feature was these two staircases that converge onto the stage which could make for some pretty dramatic entrances and scenes. It also seats 100 people. 

(Courtesy of Randolph Academy)

Staying true to 1888

The church itself has everything I love: 

Gothic windows with rectangular and circular glass.

A bellow tower, which is the focal point of the whole building. 

A spiral tower which gives a captivating medieval feel.  

What I truly adore is the building is relatively true to its former life. Sure churches turned into condominiums maintain the exterior, but the interiors, even though they retain some features, lose something in the transformation process.  That is why when a building, like the Randolph Centre for the Arts, is able to somewhat preserve the interior it truly makes you feel as though you are still in a church and not just entering a shell.  

Also going to a theatre is like going to mass. Theatre goers have a theatre ritual and even though it is not every week at a certain times, the church still maintains a part of its former life in that manner.