Religious institution.
Details of Site Location: The northwest corner of Queen Street East and Mutual Street.
Boundary History: The lot was 100′ by 150′ and faced Queen Street.
Current Use of Property: Parking lot.
Historical Description: [Revised 2020 by THA] Architect William Thomas designed this church, which was built in 1857/58 for a predominantly Irish congregation. Named the Free Presbyterian Church, it was dedicated 25 July 1858. The lot had cost $3,000 and the building $16,000. The church was named in honour of the Reverend Henry Cooke of Belfast, a prominent clergyman. Dr. Cooke was influential during the union of some Unitarian and Presbyterian churches in the 1840s. Reverend Robert Irvine was the first minister of the church in 1852. He was followed by the Reverend William Gregg, (1857-1872). In its first hundred years, Cooke’s Presbyterian Church had only a single minister of non-Irish descent. [See Erratum] The church building was of “white” (actually a soft yellow) brick and was 51′ by 86′. As befits the no-nonsense Presbyterians, it had old-fashioned oblong straight pews. In the Romanesque style, the exterior had brick ornamentation and corbels projecting to all the eaves and gables. The Queen Street façade was arranged in three divisions with a projecting entrance porch, and towers at each angle. Each tower was 15′ square and rose 110′. At a cost of $20,000, the church was restored in 1886, a new organ installed, and new seating for 1,000 people added. The success of the church caused it to outgrow its facilities and, in 1891, the church committee voted to demolish the building and replace it with a larger one that could seat 2,000. With Henry Simpson selected as architect for the replacement building, Cooke’s Presbyterian was demolished.
Relative Importance: This church reflects the time when more than 70% of Toronto’s population in the 19th century was of Irish origin. It served the large Irish communities of the eastern part of the city. It is an important part of the city’s history when Toronto was known as “a city of churches”.
Planning Implications: The site should be plaqued with the history of both Cooke’s and its successor, given in the context of the communities the church served. If the site is redeveloped, then a full archaeological investigation should be made at the expense of the developer.
Reference Sources: C.P. Mulvaney, Toronto Past and Present 1882 (1884); John Ross Robertson, Landmarks of Toronto; Miles’ Atlas (1878).
Acknowledgements: Maps Project.
Erratum: The original text listed Reverend Henry Cooke as the first minister of the church and the underlined text has been revised in line with historical authenticity to note a more accurate retelling of ministerial succession according to the following sources:
Archives Association of Ontario website (AAO) https://www.archeion.ca/cookes-presbyterian-church-toronto-ont-fonds
Smyth, William, Toronto, the Belfast of Canada: The Orange Order and the Shaping of Municipal Culture: University of Toronto Press, 2015 p. 106-107
Timperlake, J., Illustrated Toronto: Past and Present: P.A. Gross, 1877 p. 192. https://books.google.ca/books?id=5TkTAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false