Text from the Plaque
Erected to serve a thriving congregation established in 1841, Central Presbyterian Church was built in 1907-08 after an earlier building was destroyed by fire. It is reputedly the only church designed by renowned architect John M. Lyle, the Paris-trained son of the minister and one of Canada's leading exponents of the Beaux-Arts system of design. Georgian in form, the imposing building is symmetrical and well-proportioned. Its most distinctive features -- semi-circular stairwells at the ends of the transepts, an elegant, open arch tower and a tapering, octagonal spire -- offset the flat wall surfaces and create a striking profile. Although a Sunday School wing erected at the rear of the sanctuary has been altered, Central Presbyterian Church retains much of its original character.
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