Potential Sites of Interest; Property No. 15
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
211 Archibald Street
Year Built: 1963
Architect: Lyndon McIntosh
Although this building is relatively new compared with the City’s Heritage
buildings, it does appear on the Historical Walking Tour for the South end and has some
interesting architectural and cultural characteristics. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the second
church to be built upon the site at 211 Archibald Street. The original St. Patrick’s was
constructed between 1891 and 1893 and was demolished in 1962. State of the art
technology was used in the erection of this church in 1963, because the land upon which
it stands was originally a marsh. St. Patrick’s Cathedral is constructed in a modern
adaptation of Gothic architectural style and is made of pre-formed reinforced concrete. Its
life span is estimated to be 200 years.
Of particular interest are the enormous stained-glass windows which adorn the
cathedral. The narthex window depicts the life of the church’s name sake; St. Patrick. It is
an impressive 1,100 square feet and was, at the time of installation, the largest stainedglass window in all of North America (it is now the third largest). Another important
stained-glass piece can be found over the entrance of the Memorial Chapel of the Pieta.
This one was designed and donated by artist Russell Goodman who was a recipient of the
Order of Canada for his artistic abilities. The window is considered a ‘glass archive’
because it depicts the original St. Patrick’s Cathedral with the coat of arms of Bishop E.
Q. Jennings, who was the first bishop of the Diocese.
Potential Sites of Interest; Property No. 15