Seven historic churches in downtown Toronto have records that can be checked against Ontario Heritage Trust entries, City of Toronto by-laws, or parish and archdiocese histories. The oldest, Little Trinity Church, held regular services from 1844, and the newest, St. Paul’s Basilica, held its first Mass in late 1889. The table below gives name, denomination, dates, architect, location, and status.
Table of verified churches
| Church | Denomination | Dates | Architect | Location | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Trinity Church | Anglican | 1843 to 1844 (plaque: services from 1844) | Henry Bowyer Lane (secondary sources) | 425 King Street East | Active parish. Ontario Heritage Trust plaque. Listed, not designated, per Toronto’s heritage database. |
| St. Michael’s Cathedral | Roman Catholic | Cornerstone 1845, consecrated 1848 | William Thomas | Bond and Shuter streets | Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Ontario Heritage Trust plaque. |
| Church of the Holy Trinity | Anglican | Consecrated 1847 (register: 1846 to 1857) | Henry Bowyer Lane | 19 Trinity Square | Active parish. Designated, Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 13-77 (1977). |
| Cathedral Church of St. James | Anglican | 1853 to 1874 | F. W. Cumberland and Thomas Ridout | 106 King Street East | Cathedral. Designated, Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 588-77 (1977). |
| Metropolitan United Church | Methodist, now United | 1870 to 1872, rebuilt after the 1928 fire | Henry Langley | 56 Queen Street East | Active congregation. Designated, Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 1250-2007. |
| St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church | Presbyterian | Completed 1875, dedicated February 13, 1876 | William G. Storm | 75 Simcoe Street | Active congregation. Designated, Ontario Heritage Act, By-law 496-81 (1981). |
| St. Paul’s Basilica | Roman Catholic | Cornerstone 1887, first Mass 1889 | Joseph Connolly | 83 Power Street | Minor basilica since August 3, 1999. Designation not confirmed here. |
Where a cell says “secondary sources,” the fact was not found in a Trust or City record and rests on published histories. Where two sources disagree, both are given in the notes below the table.
How the entries were checked
Names, addresses, architects, construction spans, and by-law numbers for four churches come from the Ontario Heritage Trust’s Ontario Heritage Act Register. The William Thomas attribution for St. Michael’s comes from the Trust’s plaque and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography. The history of St. Paul’s, including its architect, comes from the church’s page on the Archdiocese of Toronto site. Metropolitan United’s by-law number comes from the City of Toronto.
The status column is deliberately cautious. A building is called designated only where a register entry names a by-law. A plaque from the Trust commemorates a building’s history but does not protect it, so plaque-only entries say so.
Notes on individual entries
Little Trinity Church
The plaque says the congregation was founded in 1842 and that regular services began on February 18, 1844. A local history site gives February 14. A 1961 fire gutted the building, and the church was restored. Toronto’s built-heritage database lists the church, while the City has designated the rectory next door at 417 King Street East by By-law 620-2002.
St. Michael’s Cathedral
Bishop Michael Power laid the cornerstone on May 8, 1845, and the cathedral was consecrated on September 29, 1848. The tower and spire were begun in 1867, and the transepts were never completed. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography describes it as the largest church in Toronto at the time of building.
Church of the Holy Trinity
The Trust register records construction from 1846 to 1857. The plaque and histories date the consecration to 1847. The plaque credits Mary Lambert Swale of Yorkshire with funding the church on condition that the seats stay free, and John Simcoe Macaulay with giving the land. Henry Scadding was the first rector.
Cathedral Church of St. James
The Trust register gives 1853 to 1874. A fire in 1849 destroyed the earlier church, and the design by Cumberland and Ridout won a competition of eleven entries. The Canadian Encyclopedia dates tower completion to 1875, and other accounts give 1873 to 1874 for the spire by Henry Langley.
Metropolitan United Church
Egerton Ryerson laid the cornerstone in 1870, and the church was dedicated in 1872 as Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist Church. The 1925 church union brought the United name. Fire destroyed most of the building in 1928, and it was rebuilt on the same foundations with the tower kept.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
The Trust register lists completion in 1875. The plaque records that work began in 1874 and that the church was dedicated on February 13, 1876. Some records use 189 King Street West as an alternate address.
St. Paul’s Basilica
The parish was established in 1822, and its first building was completed in 1824. The present church was planned by Bishop Thomas Timothy O’Mahony and designed by Joseph Connolly. The statue of St. Paul above the central door dates from 1899 and the bell tower from 1905.
Left out
Several well-known churches are absent because a primary record for their dates, architect, or status was not located in this review. The list can grow as each is checked.
Related reading
- Historic churches of Toronto: section guide
- More historic buildings of Toronto
- An overview of Toronto’s history
- Historic buildings of Toronto
- Toronto’s history in outline
Last verified: October 2026
Sources
- Ontario Heritage Trust, Ontario Heritage Act Register entries for 106 King Street East, 56 Queen Street East, 19 Trinity Square, and 75 Simcoe Street, and provincial plaques for St. Michael’s Cathedral, the Church of the Holy Trinity, and Little Trinity Church
- Archdiocese of Toronto, St. Paul’s Basilica, “Our History”
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, “St. James’ Anglican Cathedral”
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography, “Thomas, William”
- City of Toronto, By-law 1250-2007 (Metropolitan United Church)
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Verified List of Historic Toronto Churches. https://historyoftoronto.ca/history/churches1
MLA: “Verified List of Historic Toronto Churches.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/history/churches1. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Verified List of Historic Toronto Churches.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/history/churches1.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.