St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Toronto
| St. Thomas Aquinas Church | |
|---|---|
| Newman Chapel | |
Church on Hoskin Avenue
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| Coordinates: 43°39′52″N 79°23′52″W / 43.664411°N 79.397876°W | |
| Location | Toronto |
| Country | Canada |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | NewmanToronto.com |
| History | |
| Founder(s) | Newman Centre, Toronto |
| Dedication | Thomas Aquinas |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Active |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Listed historical building |
| Designated | 1973 |
| Architect(s) | Arthur W. Holmes |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1926 |
| Completed | 1927 |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Downtown |
| Archdiocese | Toronto |
St. Thomas Aquinas Church or Newman Chapel is a Roman Catholic church within the St. George campus of the University of Toronto. It was built in 1926-1927 as a chapel for the Newman Centre next door. In 1995, it became a quasi-parish church. It is situated on the corner of Hoskin Avenue and St. George Street in Toronto, next to Massey College.
Before the site was church, it was a coach house attached to the home of Wilmot Deloui Matthews. He was businessman, owner of W. D. Matthews and one time president of the Toronto Board of Trade. He built the house from 1890 to 1891. He died in 1919 and the whole site was purchased by the Newman Club in 1922. At first, before the church was built, Mass was held in the Oak Room of the house next door.
However, as the size of congregation increased, it was realised that a larger space for Mass was required. Plans were drawn up to replace the coach house with a chapel. To make the most of the available space, the chapel was designed to be rectangular and perpendicular to the street.
The church was built from 1926 to 1927. It was built in Gothic Revival style. After it was finished it was blessed by the Archbishop of Toronto, Neil McNeil. On 27 March 1927, he dedicated the chapel to St. Thomas Aquinas. Because of its connection to the Newman Centre, it was known by students on campus as the Newman Chapel. From 1913 to 1936, the Newman Centre and chapel were served by the Paulist Fathers at St. Peter's Church, Toronto.
In 1995, the Archdiocese of Toronto made the chapel into a quasi-parish church.
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