Walking Tour

Knox United Church Walking Tour

Welcome to Knox United Church! For over 100 years, Knox has stood on the corner of 4th Street and 6th Avenue in downtown Calgary.  We hope your visit is meaningful and provides space for reflection and sacred connections.

Beginnings

In the early 1880s, just a decade after the first European settler arrived and this territory became part of Canada, a small group began gathering in what is now Inglewood, in the IG Baker grocery store, to hear Rev. Angus Robertson preach.  This was just six years after Treaty 7 was signed.  On November 21, 1883, this small group of people formed an official Presbyterian congregation and they built their own church – a small wooden building, just 7’ by 11’. 

As the city’s center moved from the Ft. Calgary area to what we now know as the downtown core, the church decided to move with it.  The small wooden church was moved onto skids and transported across the frozen Elbow River to a new location at 7th Avenue and Centre Street. 

As the congregation grew, a larger space was needed.  A second church was built in 1886 and then a third in 1905 as the congregation kept outgrowing their space.  Eventually in September 1913, today’s church building was completed.

All but three of the stained glass windows were created by Luxfer Studios in Toronto and installed between 1929 and 1960.

Begin your tour in the foyer inside the main 6th Avenue doors.

1. Foyer (Narthex)

Most elements of a church’s architecture have names that date from ancient times. The small room between the exterior doors and the main body of the church (the “nave”) would be called a foyer in other buildings but, in a church, it is called the “narthex”.

On the wall to the right of the entrance to the sanctuary are photos of the 1887 church building, the expanded 1905 building and the present structure which was built in 1912/1913.

2. Front Doors

Flanking the doors are windows honouring Preaching, Teaching (east side) and Healing, and Serving (west side). Over the front exterior doors is the window, The Light of the World.  

Proceed up the east staircase to the left of the “Preaching” window.   to see a larger adaptation of “The Light of the World”.

3. East Staircase

On the landing part way up to the balcony is a window depicting the parable of The Good Samaritan.

4.  Back balcony

From the east entrance to the balcony, look across to the two large windows on the west wall. The window above balcony depicts The Boy Jesus in the Temple.

The larger Light of the World window is beside it to the right. This window is from the popular William Holman Hunt portrait inspired by the scripture verse that begins “Behold, I stand at the door and knock …”. It was installed in 1946, in memory of John McNeill who was a pioneer builder in Calgary. He came to Calgary from Ontario in 1886 and helped to erect many of the first permanent buildings of this city, including the first hospital of the Sisters of Mercy, a theatre, an opera house, the McNeill Office Block and many homes, including two that once stood directly across from the church on 6thAvenue. Mr. McNeill was one of the original guarantors of the church mortgage.

The large window over the back of the balcony is titled Come Unto Me and was donated in 1931 by the widow and family of Isaac Kendall Kerr. Mr. Kerr established the Eau Claire & Bow River Lumber Co. in 1883. He also established several other related Calgary businesses, including the Calgary Water Power Company, which provided electricity to his sawmill and, incidentally, to Calgary’s first street lights.

The Nativity window on the East wall of the balcony was donated in 1957 in memory of Ella MacDonald, by her husband, H. B. MacDonald.  Mr. MacDonald was a member of The Alberta Legislature from 1944 to 1955. He worked to get driving instructions and complete knowledge of automobiles into the school curriculum.

The window immediately to the left of the Nativity window depicts The Marriage Feast of Cana. This window was created by Robert McCausland Ltd. of Toronto and installed in 1951 in memory of Dr. Omer H. Patrick.  Dr Patrick was the founder and president of the Calgary Zoological Society. He was a pioneer in the development of the Drumheller coal fields and played a key role in the development of the dinosaur and fossil park at the Calgary Zoo. 

Proceed out the west door of the balcony. Stop in the anteroom before going down the east stairs to the main floor.

5. West Anteroom and Staircase

This anteroom provides access to the bell tower (not open to the public). A carillon was added to the bell tower as a World War Two memorial in 1948, but is currently in disrepair.

The small window on the south wall of the anteroom is called Christ the Sower, inspired by the parable of the sower. On the way downstairs, you will pass two windows depicting the parable of The Good Samaritan.

Move on to the centre of the main sanctuary for a good view of the large windows on the east and west walls.

6. Upper east wall, sanctuary

The King of Kings window on the left was installed in 1948 and dedicated to T. J. S. Skinner, one of the early settlers of Calgary. Thomas came from England in May 23, 1883, working on a surveying party for the railroad. For the first three years after his arrival, he was employed to carry the mail through the mountains on horseback and by dog team in the winter.

The Ascension window beside it was installed in 1929 by Alfred M. Terrill. The Terrill florist’s shop operated in Calgary from 1902 to 1972. Among other acts of generosity, Mr. Terrill was one of the guarantors for the church’s debt in the early years.

7. Upper west wall, sanctuary

The Garden of Gethsemane window illustrates Jesus praying the night before he died. Along with the smaller windows in the narthex and staircases, it was installed in 1939 as part of a legacy gift from Helen Ballantyne, who served quietly as a volunteer in administrative roles at Knox for many years.

The Sermon on the Mount window depicts the occasion when Jesus spoke the beatitudes.

Take a closer look at the small windows along                                                                            the east side of the sanctuary.

8.  Lower east wall, sanctuary

On the lower east wall of the main sanctuary, windows depict several followers of Jesus. From south (back) to north, they are St. Phillip, St. Paul, St. John, St. Matthew.  Continuing on around the corner into the alcove you will find St. Luke, St. Andrew, and St. Bartholomew. Each one is identified by a particular symbol.

9.  Chapel

This side alcove is used as a chapel for small gatherings and personal prayer and meditation. In terms of church architecture, it is part of the “transept” – the part of the main body of the church that is wider than the rest, so that the entire space is in the form of a cross.

As you leave the chapel in the east transept, take a short detour part way up the steps towards the east balcony.

10.  Landing, right front balcony

The Morning Star window, was created in the 1990’s by K. W. Lengauer of Avanti Art and Glass Company of Calgary, in a distinctly different style from the older windows in the church. It is a memorial to Don and Yvonne Robertson.  Dan was the grandnephew of Rev. Angus Robertson, the minister of the congregation who first gathered in Inglewood. Angus died of typhoid fever at a young age but his brother, who accompanied him on his journey west, stayed, eventually purchasing and developing the land on the north side of the Bow River that became the community of Rosedale. A plaque commemorating the ministry of Angus Robertson can be found on the wall beside the door to the vestry.

11.  West balcony

As you come back down the stairs, note the Treaty 7 flag above the stairs and the Progress Pride Rainbow flag across the sanctuary above the stairs to the west balcony. These symbolize Knox’s commitment to right relations and the inclusion of all people in this space.

We acknowledge that we live, work, play and worship on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, and Piikani),

the TsuuT’ina, the Stoney Nakoda Nations (Bearspaw, Chiniki, and Wesley), the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta. 

All are welcome in our faith community, regardless of age, colour, ethnic, religious or linguistic background, gender, gender identity, social or economic circumstances, sexual orientation and physical or mental capabilities.  Knox has been a proud member of Affirm United since 2007.

There are two windows high up in west balcony, to the right of the flag. Suffer the Little Children, the north window, was donated in 1928 by the families of Knox who had lost young children. Easter Morn (The Women at the Tomb) was donated by Mrs. Fannie Andrews in memory of her husband in 1931.

Proceed to the front of the sanctuary.

12.  Chancel

The part of the church architecture in front of the transept is called the chancel.  Here you will find the pulpit, the choir loft, the organ console, the communion table, and the baptismal font. The baptismal font is a marble basin used to baptize children and adults with a small amount of water, a gesture of admission into the Christian faith.

In 1913, the Knox organ was built by Casavant Freres of St. Hyacinthe, Quebec at a cost of $17,159.96.  At the time it was considered to be the largest and most versatile church organ west of Toronto. The organ was rebuilt with a new console in 1957. It then contained 72 speaking stops, 9 prepared stops, 49 couplers, 44 combination pistons and 4,355 pipes.  On the west side of the chancel is the area that houses the pipes for the “great organ” and the “pedal organ”.  The largest pipes are located in these two sections. On the east side of the chancel, 3 more pipe sections are located:  the “solo” (solo pipes as the name suggests), the “swell” (pipes of various volume and timbre and the “choir” (on this organ, the gentlest set of pipes.) Behind you, on the east side of the back balcony is the antiphonal section of the organ (sometimes referred to as the “echo organ” because of the echo effects that can be created.)

In 2001, a major restoration, renovation and expansion of the organ was completed. The pipe chambers were completely reconfigured. The existing solo and choir divisions were combined, and a new 12-stop resonance division was added in the great/pedal pipe chamber. In total 23 new stops were added bringing the total number to 94. The organ now contains 5018 pipes. The four manual console was also completely updated with solid state systems. 

13.  North wall, sanctuary 

The Memorial Window at the front of the sanctuary was commissioned and installed to honour the memory of those from Knox who fell in the World War I. It was the first window to be replaced with stained glass, and was dedicated in a special service in 1921.  It was designed by Mr. A. J. Larschild and made by the Pittsburgh Glass Company in Minneapolis.

Lavender, olive and brown colours were used to represent the colours of uniforms of wounded and fallen soldiers from both contending armies. There are 9,982 pieces of glass in the window. At the bottom, note the beaver, maple leaf, English rose, rose and thistle, surrounded by the Crown of Britannia, Shamrock and Thistle, Shield of Alberta.

Go through the door to the west of the pulpit into the vestry.

14.  The Vestry

The Vestry was the office of the senior minister before the opening of the annex building in 1960.  It had a window to the outside before the construction of the new building.  Now the office houses historical photos and books. It is used as a “green room” for concerts.

15.   Hallway, outside the sanctuary

The plaque in the hall beside the Vestry door records that Knox was designated a Registered Heritage Resource by the provincial government in 1980.   Also in the hall is Knox’s Affirming statement and the United Church of Canada’s Apology to the Indigenous communities of Canada.  The Apology was made to acknowledge the role of the United Church in the residential school system (1880’s – 1996). 

16. The Labyrinth Room, across the hallway

This room was the historic main meeting hall of the Sunday school. Upstairs and downstairs classrooms opened onto this central area for worship, then curtains were drawn as individual classes were held. The mottled glass windows are the same as the ones that were in the sanctuary before the installation of stained glass.

A labyrinth is a walking meditation. Our labyrinth was hand–painted on the original fir floor in the pattern of the one in Chartres Cathedral in France. It celebrates the vision and work of Lorraine Hartry who ministered at Knox from 1992 - 2005. The labyrinth is open daily from 10 am – 2 pm.

Walk back into the sanctuary and look across at the windows in the east balcony. Then continue down the side aisle.

17. East balcony

The Martha and Mary window was installed in 1958 and was given by members of the church in memory of Jessie Caryle, who was the church secretary for 21 years.

The Calling of St. Matthew window was donated in memory of Frederick William LaChapelle in 1957.

18.  Lower west wall, sanctuary

On the lower west wall in the main sanctuary there is a series of smaller windows, much like those on the east wall. 

The Good Shepherd depicts Jesus as a shepherd, watching his flock.  One of the most striking of the smaller windows portrays Ruth from the Hebrew Scriptures. It was donated in memory of Margaret Wilson, sister of Rev. McCarthy Wilson whose tablet is located to the right.  Finally, find the window of St. Mark, one of the Gospel writers. 

19. West side, foyer (narthex)

In the west end of the narthex are the Honour Rolls with the names of those Knox members who enrolled in the forces during the World Wars. The memorial plaque on the arch records the names of individuals whose ashes are scattered in the Memorial Garden, outside the west door.