Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church

Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church. Constructed 1911-1913/1931. , A downtown landmark, Fifth Avenue Methodist Church was designed in the Arts and Crafts style by Medicine Hat architect William T. Williams and built by Lussier Construction Company. Opened in 1913, it featured large stained glass windows, red pressed brick with sandstone trim and square corner towers with crenellated parapets. Following church union in 1925, it became Fifth Avenue United Church. , A devastating fire occurred in 1931 and Calgary architects Fordyce and Stevenson supervised reconstruction in five months with only modest modifications to the original design, including deletion of the side balconies and alteration of the sanctuary’s roof pitch. In 1957, a Christian Education addition was constructed on the west side of the church. In 1998, following an amalgamation with another congregation, the building was renamed Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church. , The church is highly valued, not only as a community institution that has served the religious needs of Medicine Hat for over a century, but as an excellent example of the high quality of Medicine Hat's institutional architecture, workmanship and locally manufactured building materials. The historic landmark sits prominently on a corner lot in downtown and its placement, form, scale and massing contribute to its commanding presence., The City of Medicine Hat designated Fifth Avenue Memorial United Church as a Municipal Historic Resource on January 21, 2019.