By Henrieta Paukov
If you peek into the storefront at 403 King Street East, near Parliament Street in Toronto, you might see some of the staff of Little Trinity church (Trinity East is its official name) going about their day. And that is exactly what they intended.
“That has always been the vision around these buildings, that it’s our storefront into the community,” says John van Gent, deputy people’s warden and chair of the committee that led an almost $4.5 million project to restore the façades of the Francis Beale Buildings at 399-403 King Street East and build new structures behind them.
The Georgian-style buildings were built in the middle of the 19th century, when the area was home to working-class Irish immigrants. They were designed as commercial facilities—an inn and a store have been among the tenants—with residential accommodation in the upper stories. Little Trinity acquired the land in the late 19th century and had stopped using the buildings by the early 1980s. They fell into disrepair.
Over the years, the congregation explored ideas for using the buildings, including various community partnerships, but had no money for development, says Mr. van Gent. Finally, 10 years ago, they brainstormed about what sort of spaces they wanted for their ministry activities.
“We came up with a sizeable list, and we realized quickly that we didn’t have enough space in our existing buildings for what we were doing, let alone for the vision we had for expanding our ministry into the community,” says Mr. van Gent. “We decided we felt called to redevelop the buildings for our own mission and ministry.”
Two capital campaigns will raise more than $2.5 million in total. The first started in 2009 and ended in 2013; the second started this year and goes until 2018. In addition, the Diocese contributed about $1.2 million in grant funding and also provided a bridge loan. Besides treasure, virtually every member of the congregation gave time and talent as different aspects of the project took shape, from interior design to IT and audio-visual equipment. The ground floor now houses the church office, the basement is a youth ministry space, and the second floor is a multi-purpose space with a commercial kitchen.
The project was a “four million dollar investment in neighbourhood mission,” says the incumbent, the Rev. Tim Haughton. For instance, the church offers Alpha courses and “lots of people from the neighbourhood are interested in connecting and this space will give that ministry a chance to grow,” he says. Little Trinity is also planning to use some of the wall space to feature local artists. Other ideas will emerge as the congregation listens to what the community needs, says Mr. Haughton. In the meantime, it’s warm out and people are coming to Little Trinity Park next door to walk their dogs or relax on the grass, so the church is planning a series of Music in the Park events.
The church held an official re-opening celebration on May 25 and posted photos on Facebook. “Amazing celebration,” wrote one commenter. “So glad I made it to the dedication. What a testament of God with us!”
