St. Anne's Anglican Church, Toronto

Structural, Roofing and Interior Restorations

St. Anne's Anglican Church (1909) in Toronto is a National Historic Site that featured important religious murals on its walls and ceilings by Group-of-Seven and other noted Canadian artists. The building was tragically gutted by fire in 2024 with the loss of all the interior structural elements, the historic stained glass and treasured murals.

We had worked with the parish since 1985 developing a comprehensive plan for the restoration of the Byzantine-style building, starting with the repair of the dome cupola and roof structure in 1989. Working with structural engineer David Laird, settlement of the sagging, compound bowstring trusses, which carried the central dome, was stabilized by the addition of dozens of originally-specified bolts and rods that were found to be missing during our inspections.

In 1999 we designed and managed the installation of an insulated slate roof, primarily funded by the Federal government, to help protect the wall paintings. As part of this work we prepared a full set of measured drawings for the building, using our in-house Rollei photogrammetric system. A comprehensive Heritage Structure Report was prepared documenting the state of the building and the condition of the murals.

In 2000 we completed the first stage of a comprehensive interior rehabilitation project to protect and stabilise the murals. Conservation work was undertaken by Conservator Laszlo Cser to repair minor damage and delamination issues with the murals. As part of this phase of work, dome plaster and glazing repairs, rebuilding the washrooms and upgrading the main electrical services for the building were carried out.

In 2005 we completely restored the two east-front belfry towers. Work included copperwork, moulded render repairs, brick and woodwork repair. The front towers were the only significant elements that survived the fire.

Archive Drawings Langley & Howland Architects - 1907

Photogrammetric 3d (SHA: 1985)

Measured Drawings (SHA: 1985)

Measured Drawings - Heritage Structure Detail (SHA: 1985)