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HISTORY

Queen Street Methodist Church, aka Welsley Hall, was a relatively small, Gothic Revival stone church. It was first built in 1864 by architect John Power along with 242 well-known Kingstonian trustees. Power was a prolific architect, producing many fine Gothic Revival and Classical buildings in southeastern Ontario, such as Mcintosh Castle, Iron's Hotel (the Hotel Frontenac) and St. George's Hall in Kingston, and the Courthouse and Jail in Napanee.

Gothic architecture had been declared as “Christian Architecture” at the time and was the authorized style for Methodism and other denominations. The church has gone through many changes over the years. It was rebuilt in 1884 and again in 1886 due to a fire. In 1925 it became Queen Street United Church. Many of the original features have been preserved and can still be admired throughout The Smith Hotel today.

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