Central United Church

Record #: LUN0007
Last Modified: 16 Sep 2016
Last Full Update: 16 Sep 2016

Comments

Public Bulletin Central United Church Hall is located at 283 Lincoln Street

Location

Located In Lunenburg
Where To Find Us
136 Cumberland St
Lunenburg, NS B0J 2C0
Areas Served Lunenburg (town)

Contact

Website www.centralunitedlunenburg.ca
E-Mail centralunitedch@bellaliant.com
Phone Church office: 902-634-4035
Mailing Address c/o Central United Church 
PO Box 27 
Lunenburg, NS B0J 2C0

Description & Services

Information Central United Church is a large, late nineteenth-century building on Cumberland Street, across from the Town Square, that has become a landmark in the Old Town Heritage Conservation District of Lunenburg, N.S. Many features are immediately striking, including the two different towers and the large doors and windows of the main entranceway on the Cumberland Street elevation. The building is north facing and backs onto a slight slope, with no setback from the street, and a grassy area on the east side. There is access to the adjoining church hall from Lincoln Street. Designation extends to the building and surrounding property. 
Heritage Value 
 
Central United Church is valued for its role in the community, as a landmark, and as a good example of ecclesiastical architecture in the Town of Lunenburg. This is the second Methodist church built in Lunenburg; the first Methodist church in Lunenburg was located on the other side of Town Square at Prince and Townsend Streets. In 1882, the congregation elected to build a larger church on the present lot, and commissioned the well-known Dartmouth (N.S.) architect Edward Elliot to design a building. Its location in the centre of Lunenburg's Old Town speaks to the importance and prosperity of this church's congregation in Lunenburg, as does the building's immense scale. In 1925 the Methodist Church was incorporated into the United Church of Canada, and this building was renamed Central United Church. 
 
Unlike the other churches in Lunenburg, which were all built before this one, this building has an extremely tall and wide façade, measuring seventeen by thirty-four metres. The sense of height is further emphasized by a steep gable roof, a large central doorway and tall stained glass windows, and a frontal tower and a spire at opposite corners. At the same time, the immediacy of the entrance to the street and open interior suggests an invitation to the passing public. The interior of the Church is richly finished in oak and stained glass windows. 
 
Character-Defining elements of Central United Church relate to its role as a place of worship, its prominence and prosperity in the local community, and to its unique architectural elements.