A Brief History of the Unitarian Centre
Purpose-built as a church, the Unitarian Centre property has had two owners. It was built by the First Church of Christ the Scientist in 1928. They commissioned Van Egmond and Storey, one of Regina’s best known architects, to design the building. The Unitarian Fellowship of Regina purchased the property in 1992.
Currently, our building is listed under the Heritage Holding Bylaw which was adopted by Council in 1989. The list contains buildings that are of interest as Municipal Heritage Property.
Statement of Significance for Unitarian Centre
In 1989, the Municipality of Regina listed the Unitarian Centre as a building of historic interest. It is not a designated heritage property. The building anchors the south east corner of the Cathedral neighbourhood in west central Regina.
Those elements that contribute to the Unitarian Centre’s architectural value include:
- Neoclassical style used across North America during 1895-1950.
- The Doric columns are a defining feature of Neoclassical style buildings. These columns are often seen as a symbol of strength and simple beauty. Doric columns originated in ancient Greece and share these features (all evident at Unitarian Centre):
- a shaft that is fluted or grooved
- a shaft that is wider at the bottom than the top
- no base or pedestal at the bottom; it is placed directly on the floor or ground level
- an echinus or a smooth, round capital-like flare at the top of the shaft
- a square abacus tops the round echinus, which disperses and evens the load
- a lack of ornamentation or carvings of any kind, although sometimes a stone ring called an astragal marks the transition of the shaft to the echinus
- Interior dome in the ceiling of the upper hall is 20 feet across (6.1 metres). The dome remains in beautiful condition.
- Interior lattice woodwork at front windows
- Arched windows with yellow coloured pebbled glass in multi-paned windows
- Exterior rosettes on upper walls (e.g., front)