Description of Historic Place

The Ladner Baptist Church is an early twentieth-century, wood-frame church, now adapted for institutional purposes, distinguished by its Gothic Revival detailing and square corner tower with spire. It is located at the corner of 47A Avenue and Delta Street, within the Ladner Village area of Delta.

Heritage Value

The establishment of the Ladner Baptist Church reflects the substantial development that occurred in Delta during the early years of its settlement. By the turn of the twentieth century, Delta had become a leading salmon fishing community. The area around Ladner became home to many salmon canneries and was second only to Steveston for local canning capacity. After completion of the dyking system in 1897, the fertile alluvial lands surrounding Ladner were developed for agricultural production. The success of these industries, combined with the arrival of the railway in early 1903, contributed to Ladner's position as a booming administrative, commercial and transportation centre. This expansive growth led to increased needs for community services, as represented by this church.

This church is also of historical significance for its association with Ladner's Baptist community, which first held services in 1896 and was officially organized in 1899. The congregation used this church from the time of its opening in 1903 until 1969, when it moved to a newly-constructed facility on Ladner Trunk Road. Today this building is used as an educational facility and continues in its role of community service.

Constructed from 1902-03, the Ladner Baptist Church is of additional heritage value for its simple but dignified architecture. The structure is modest, reflecting the prudent nature of the Baptist congregation. The debt-free construction of the church was undertaken with volunteer labour as resources became available, requiring an extended period of construction. The last building campaign in 1912 funded the addition of the corner steeple and the two-room extension to the rear. Despite its economy, the building has some notable embellishments, such as Gothic arched windows with coloured glass glazing and intersecting tracery, befitting its stature as one of the main churches within the early settlement.

Source: Corporation of Delta

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of Ladner Baptist Church include its:
- original corner location
- ecclesiastical form, scale and massing as expressed by its regular rectangular plan with crawlspace, square corner tower, front gabled roof with closed eaves and wooden tongue-and-groove soffits, and early rear additions with lower gabled roof and shed roof
- wood-frame construction with horizontal wooden drop siding and cornerboards; vertical wooden drop siding at foundation; bargeboards with crown mouldings; and band of diagonal v-jointed wooden siding on tower
- Gothic Revival influence, exemplified by the pointed-arch windows and openings; simple, intersecting tracery in the front entry transom and large, front elevation window
- other exterior architectural features such as the square corner tower with bell-cast spire and scroll-cut eave brackets; double-door main entrance into sanctuary at tower base; louvered vents in the belfry; and internal red-brick chimney with corbelled cap
- double-hung wooden sash windows with horizontal muntins, and coloured glass flashing
- interior features including: an open floor plan; lofty ceiling with sloped sides and flat ceiling; wooden window trim and sills; wooden cap moulding detail on exterior walls; and original wall finishes underneath later drywall