St. Nicholas Church, Birch Cliff. Photo: Jeremy Hopkin.

By Jeremy Hopkin.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the St. Nicholas parish of Birch Cliff village, a historical plaque was commissioned by the parish in co-operation with Heritage Toronto and Scotiabank. The plaque was unveiled on August 9, 2012 during a special ceremony held inside St. Nicholas Church, with several parishioners and visitors in attendance.

Six people of interest were chosen to speak of the history and importance of the church to the community and then together unveiled the plaque; Archbishop Colin Johnson, Diocese of Toronto; Deb Chapman, Pastoral Associate; Sonia Halloran, Church Warden; Councillor Gary Crawford; Alexandra Smith, Scotiabank Branch Manager; and Patrick Forster, Heritage Toronto Board Member.

Unveiling ceremony of historical plaque in St. Nicholas Church. Photo: Jeremy Hopkin

The plaque reads as follows:

“The Anglican parish of St. Nicholas was founded in 1912 to serve the growing village of Birch Cliff. This building, opened in 1917, was designed by Toronto architect Harold Carter. Its steep roof and pointed arch windows are characteristic of the Late Gothic Revival style. Carter’s original plan was finally completed in 1953, when the congregation expanded after the Second World War. As one of the first churches in the area, St. Nicholas Church has played an important role in the development of Birch Cliff. – Heritage Toronto 2012 / dedicated August 9, 2012.”

Harold Carter (1885-1956) was also involved in the design of Hart House (University of Toronto), Emmanual College, Toronto; Birchcliff Heights Public School, R.H. King Collegiate (demol. 1976; archway and wall fragment relocated to the Guild Inn, Scarborough), Winston Churchill Collegiate, West Hill Collegiate and W.A. Porter Collegiate, Scarborough.

On Saturday, September 29th, St. Nicholas will hold a 100th Birthday Party Community Picnic from noon until 3pm.