GUELPH -- A church located in a historically Black community in Guelph has received funding to help with renovations.
The church is located at 83 Essex St. and is home to the British Methodist Episcopal Church in Guelph.
“It's amazing we can have this history in our midst, but nobody knows about it. I grew up in Guelph but I didn't find out about here until I was on campus at the University of Guelph,” said Denise Francis, president of the Guelph Black Heritage Society.
Initially built out of wood in 1870, the church was converted in 1880 to the limestone gothic revival structure that still stands today. It serves as the current home of the Guelph Black Heritage Society.
“That's one of the reasons we work so tirelessly and hard to preserve the building, to do the renovations, to do the cultural programming and to do our educational programming,” said Francis. “So that it will continue to thrive.”
Thanks to recent funding of $50,000 from the federal government to help preserve Black-Led community spaces, along with support from other local groups, work is now underway to finish up renovations to the basement, a wheelchair accessible ramp and the front doors.
According to Francis, the GBHS took possession of the church back in 2012. She said because it's a historical building renovations are a challenge, but this funding goes a long way to preserving a piece of history.
“The work we're doing now, when we're gone lots of generations will enjoy it. It’s for everyone,” said Velma Francis, Denise’s mother and a GBHS volunteer.
According to Lloyd Longfield, the Member of Parliament for Guelph, it's about more than just history.
"It's the present and the future, and the context of having a building that has served the Black community in Guelph continue to be able to find new ways of doing that," Longfield said.
Renovations are scheduled to be completed by the summer, and if regulations allow the doors will open once again as a space for learning and celebration.
