Description of Historic Place

Treherne United Church, built in 1907-08, is a graceful brick-veneer structure with a modest tower set on a tree-lined street in Treherne. The municipal designation applies to the building and its lot.

Heritage Value

Treherne United Church, opened as Chalmers Presbyterian, is an ambitious interpretation of the L-shaped plan adopted by many Protestant congregations on the Prairies as they outgrew the first modest churches erected in the settlement era. The design by Winnipeg architect J.H.G. Russell, a skilful rendering of Late Gothic Revival styling, with large windows, a well-conceived bell tower and a spacious, warmly finished interior, sets the structure apart from its contemporaries. Russell is noted for his many fine Winnipeg churches and Treherne United, a notable structure in its community, is a rare small urban example of his work.

Source: Village of Treherne By-law No. 670/87, January 14, 1988

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Treherne United Church site include:
- its location on a quiet street near Treherne's commercial area
- the building's placement, facing east, moderately close to the street, with a wide lawn, sheltered by several mature trees, to the south

Key elements that define the church's well-crafted Late Gothic Revival design include:
- its tall well-proportioned massing, with an extension on the west side and a bell tower in the northeast ell, all clad in buff-coloured brick on a high stone foundation
- the moderately pitched cross-gable roof, with wooden finials, wide eaves with scrolled rafters in some sections and sets of large scrolled wood brackets at the corners
- the bell tower, featuring a hipped roof intersecting with square brick corner posts, tall narrow louvred vents with pointed arches along the sides and a double-door entrance under a Tudor arch
- the prominent fenestration dominated on three sides by triple Tudor-arched windows with bold tracery and shaped stone sills; also abundant large multi-paned double sash windows in the basement and a pair of pointed arched openings in the tower
- details such as the shingled gable end on the west side, the shingled gable dormer through which the tall brick chimney extends, the corner date stone, etc.

Key elements that define the church's generously proportioned and finely finished interior include:
- the auditorium plan, with an expansive truncated ceiling, a large nave with three sections of curved pews, a choir loft at the west end fronted by a slightly lower pulpit platform and an alcove behind with arches on the east side
- finishes and materials such as the cedar panelling on the ceiling, wood flooring and generous wood trim in, tongue-and-groove wood panelling on the entrance ceiling, all carried out in a golden-brown stain, etc.
- fixtures and details such as oak and ash pews; large metal and glass pendant light fixtures; a wood railing with rounded corners on the choir loft; solid wood doors, including a pocket door between the nave and entrance lobby; etc.