Then and Now

Then...

Image B-01427 courtesy of Royal BC Museum, BC Archives

The James Bay Methodist Church, at the corner of Michigan and Menzies, was built in 1891 at a cost of $2250.00. Designed to accommodate 300 worshippers the church was built using local materials and frame construction. In 1979, the James Bay Methodist Church was designated a Heritage Building. The city directory for 1891 suggests the neighbourhood was primarily white-collar though close neighbours on Menzies included a blacksmith and the Dominion Government Militia Shed.

...Now

photo by Bob Tuomi

In 1925, certain Presbyterian congregations in Canada united with the Methodist Church to form the United Church, hence the current name of James Bay United Church. This small church on the corner of Menzies and Michigan has, for over 120 years, contributed ideas, inspiration and muscle for many of the niceties that make James Bay a better place for all of us.