In a town which cherishes its history and is home to many historic buildings, one of its very oldest is in dire need of assistance.
St. George’s in the Pines Anglican church was founded in 1889, shortly after the discovery of the Cave and Basin, which put Banff on the map. Banff’s first church, it has since hosted generations of faithful, hosted royalty, and been the scene of weddings, funerals, theatre productions and celebrations of all kinds.
Today, though, the church is showing its age and is in need of roof renovations, a foundation survey, preservation work for its unique stained glass windows and restoration of exterior Rundle and limestone surfaces and the bell tower.
To that end, volunteers have moved into action organizing a Greek Feast fundraiser to be held at The Balkan, Sunday (Jan. 31), and to gain a heritage designation which could allow for applications for matching grant money.
As of Monday (Jan. 23), tickets for just 20 seats were still available for the feast. Tickets are $60 each, or two for $120 and four for $240. Ticket sales close Jan. 24. Tickets are available online at www.greekfeast.eventbrite.com
“We’ve got quite a number of dedicated people working on this,” said lead volunteer Katherine Topolniski. “Some restoration work has been needed for a few years now and the congregation is having some trouble pulling the money together on their own.”
Topolniski and town planner Claire Wilkinson made a presentation to the Banff Heritage Corporation, Thursday (Jan. 19). If endorsed, a presentation for municipal hertiage designation status could be made to Banff council on Feb. 6.
If historic status is designated, said Topolniski, it could mean applications for matching grants up to $50,000. If successful, St. George’s will be Banff’s 10th historic site and potentially the fifth national historic site designation, should the process continue to the national level.
The entire fundraising effort is off to a good start, said Topolniski, due to a “substantial private donation from the Edmonton Community Foundation.” While Topolniski can’t reveal the amount, she did say, “it really jump started everything.
“The process was kickstarted in November when Reverend George (Belcher) was on a sick leave. That seemed to get everyone mobilized and we’ve got interest now from parish and community members and friends of St. George’s.”
One of the reasons Topolniski has volunteered is that, “I’ve known George for the last seven years. He’s why I’m involved; he was one of the first people I met when I moved to town.
“And the church is so important in town. It’s very much historically signifant in the community. It’s had weddings for people from around the globe, 85 a year at the peak, it’s had same sex marriages and non-denominational weddings take place, there are still two Sunday services each week, it even hosted the theatre production The Vagina Monologues, which is pretty unique for a church.
“And the bells are very unique; they need some restoration and a guy come from England to service them.”
One of only two churches in Canada to have a set of 11 iron-cast Taylor peal bells, the bells at St. George’s are unique and a fixture in the soundscape of Banff. The bells were donated by the Honourable Dr. Robert G. Brett and travelled from Loughborough, England in 1926 via the Panama Canal.
To garner the Town’s support for municipal heritage designation, said Wilkinson, the property owners, the diocese of the Anglican Church of Canada, must first give its blessing to the project.
“But it’s exciting to see the community group working hard toward that. On Thursday, the Heritage Corporation gave overwhelming, unanimous support to move it to council.”
While fundraising efforts are ongoing, said Wilkinson, a statement of significance document must also be prepared, which would be a summary, photos included, of all elements which make St. George’s worthy of designation.
“This is really exciting,” said Wilkinson, “the group is looking to move forward and they’ve done an amazing amount of research. Items in the statement would include figureheads that have visited, information about the bells and their story, the architecture and the church’s role in the community.
“It would be the first church in Banff to receive formal designation.”
Funds from the Town would fall under a Restoration/Rehabilitation Grant for matching funds up to $50,000 and would be at the discretion of council after a presentation was made.
