Renovating historic St. George's took time

When a small church needs more room, expansion should be straightforward. In the case of St. George's, Fort Langley, it wasn't.

The challenge came from the 1900-01 church's location in a designated heritage area, on two small lots, one of which was a cemetery (for the Hudson's Bay Company fort nearby).

But the growing church desperately needed room, a new hall and kitchen, rooms for the Sunday school, etc. The congregation had simply outgrown the facilities. So, working with the local heritage commission, heritage society, municipal and provincial government, the parish designed a Parish Centre, which still retained the original church building.

The centre could only go where the crumbling parish hall was _ expansion into the cemetery was out of the question.

The original church was expanded by nine feet, adding one window, with interior fir walls and outside siding specially milled to match the original. Pews were manufactured by a parishioner to match the old pews. Wood flooring was salvaged from the demolished Parish Hall and installed to match the original flooring in the church. A concrete ramp in front was constructed to allow for easier access.

But where to put the church offices? There was no more space on the site. The answer was to lift St. George's, excavate, pour a new foundation (the old one had been made of fir stringers which would have eventually rotted away), and install a basement beneath the church before lowering it again onto new footings.

As a contribution to the community, the completed facility has been designed and equipped to act as an emergency refuge in case of local disasters.

It all took more than a dozen years from the launching of a `New Parish Centre Task Force" in 1991 to the dedication service for the new Parish Centre with Bishop Michael Ingham late last year.

Anglicans and others who visit historic Fort Langley should take a look at St. George's at 9160 Church Street, just down the hill from the 1839 pioneer fort.