Description of Historic Place

The Fogo United Church is a small, wooden Gothic-Revival church located at 52 Main Street, Fogo. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Fogo United Church has been designated a registered structure because it has historic and architectural values.

The Fogo United Church is historically valuable because it was constructed in 1877 after the Great Fire of Fogo that levelled the town. It is symbolic of the reconstruction era and shows the community support and efforts that led to its reconstruction. Begun as a Methodist church, the small Fogo Methodist congregation numbered approximately 140 people to rebuild their church. The building has been used for Sunday worship, Christian education and church meetings since its construction and it is representative of the importance the community gave religious institutions.

The Fogo United Church is aesthetically valuable because it is a good example of Gothic –Revival outport interpretation. The steeply pitched gable roofs are decorated with softly curved bargeboard and the peak of each gable has an ornate finial. Each Gothic arch window has curved muntins and stained glass. The torus moulding over the front door adds strength and decoration above a small arched transom window. The louvered bell tower is capped with a steep turret and finial. The interior details are examples of local craftsmanship and interpretation while the church as a whole represents the importance of the structure within the community.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador unnumbered property designation file, 1 Springdale Street, St. John's, NL, A1C 5V5

Character-Defining Elements

-All those exterior architectural features that are representative of the Gothic Revival style including the arched, stained glass windows
-Bargeboard and finials
-Bell tower
-Narrow clapboard
-Location, orientation and dimensions