The former St. Giles is for sale. Cathie Coward/Spectator file photo
Thursday July 30 2026, The Hamilton Spectator
The former St. Giles Church is up for sale after a decade of debate over the future of the deteriorating building.
Coun. Nrinder Nann announced in a community update late last month that after five years of deliberation, and despite “genuine efforts” to come up with a plan for the building at 85 Holton St., the United Church has decided to put the property up for sale.
“Too bad it took so long, and (the building) is now in such a sorry state,” wrote Janet Long to The Spectator. The member of the Friends of St. Giles advocacy group noted the neighbourhood has advocated for “adaptive reuse” of the beautiful building for a long time, without success.
The church was built in 1912, and made history as the first Hamilton congregation in 1925 to join the United Church. It later merged with Centenary United Church in 2015 to become the New Vision United Church.
Shortly after the merger, the Holton Street building was emptied in 2016. Initially, New Vision considered demolishing the building and replacing it with affordable housing, which aligned with the congregation’s vision.
Advocacy groups Friends of St. Giles and Architectural Conservancy Ontario strongly opposed the proposal to demolish the building, and instead championed the idea of preserving the property and designating it as a heritage site.
“We’re losing the nuance of our society,” said Shannon Kyles, who’s been working with the conservancy for about 50 years. “We’re losing all the joy and beauty and we’re just not replacing it with stuff that’s of equal quality.”
Long pointed out how the city has designated other churches in the area as heritage sites, including Ryerson Church and Delta Church, but opted against granting St. Giles the same status.
The city chose not to go through with the designation in 2018 after hearing Rev. Ian Sloan’s argument of high maintenance costs associated with preserving the building.
The issue isn’t just about preserving history, said Long, who argued “the neighbourhood here has really suffered.”
Long has kept a record of what she describes as countless occasions police have been called to deal with fire or break-in complaints since the building’s abandonment in 2016.
What the advocacy groups say they really want is for some part of the building to be preserved.
“You’re losing culture every time we lose one of these building,” said Kyles.
When asked about the future plans for the property, United Church real estate management partner Kindred Works wrote they “hope the future purchaser will bring a new vision for the property that reflects the needs and opportunities of the community.”
The property is listed online for nearly $2.9 million.
The state of St. Giles is not unique. Faith spaces are disappearing at an alarming rate across not just Hamilton, but Canada as a whole, according to the Canadian Urban Institute. With congregations shrinking and maintenance costs soaring, nearly one-third of the country’s 27,000 churches and faith spaces could close within the next decade.
Friends of St. Giles 