Identity area
Type of entity
Authorized form of name
Parallel form(s) of name
- Richmond United Church
- Richmond Methodist Mission
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
History
On May 9, 1888 the Richmond Mission was constituted by action of the Methodist conference. The congregation met in the municipal hall, then situated at Cambie and River roads, until their first church, Richmond Methodist, was built in 1891. Following church union in 1925, the church became Richmond United Church. Following population trends, a new Church was opened a quarter of a mile farther east on Cambie in 1961, and in that year council bought the old property. The church was moved to its present location in Minoru Park in 1967, restored and preserved as a municipal Centennial project. It was rededicated in 1968. From 1958-1983, Richmond United and Sea Island United were part of a two-point pastoral charge, after which Sea Island joined with Brighouse United. In 1985, Richmond United again joined with Sea Island to become part of the two-point charge. Richmond United Church is a part of Vancouver-South Presbytery.
The Chapel is a city-designated heritage resource. It was originally built in 1891 as part of a cluster of associated church buildings on a site at the corner of River Road and Cambie Road where it could be easily accessed by water, necessary due to its very early construction date when Richmond’s interior road system had not yet been developed. The building is significant as an excellent example of the Carpenter Gothic building style, and has become an internationally renowned chapel, often used by couples seeking an exotic location for a ceremony.
The Chapel is the oldest extant church in Richmond, although not on its original site, and has some unique stylistic features. It is associated with the development of the early churches in Richmond, and was chosen to be a memorial to Richmond’s past and to serve the present multi-cultural community as a non-denominational chapel. The chapel and Pierrefonds gardens were collectively designated a provincial heritage site in 1979. It is located at 7191 Granville Avenue, Richmond, B.C.