Zion United Church

Zion United Church. . , Quick Facts: West End's first church - Opened 1855 - Home of champion sports teams, Zion Church became a focal point for the West End community. (Image courtesy City of Hamilton), The West End's first church opened in 1855 when a building was secured on the south side of Main Street, just east of Margaret Street. The site of the present Zion United Church, on the corner of Pearl and Napier Streets, was originally the Sunday School. This location was known as 'Mount Zion' to indicate its location on the height of land which traverses this part of the city., - Officially dedicated as Zion Tabernacle in April 1875. , - Sunday School rebuilt by 1892; the gym was added in 1912. , - Stan Burnes led church basketball teams to elite levels in the 1920s., Following the Normal School fire in 1953, Zion, along with Erskine and St. George's churches, provided accommodation for the students. By the 1960s, church attendance began a decline and the Wesley Urban Ministries established a presence in the building. Zion's prominent tower still dominates the neighbourhood landscape.