Description of Historic Place

St. Joseph’s Church is a Municipal Heritage Property located within the Rural Municipality of Meeting Lake No. 466, approximately eight kilometres east of the Hamlet of Mayfair. The property features a wood-frame church and wooden cross, both constructed in 1935 on a 0.5 ha lot.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of St. Joseph’s Church lies in its status as a centre for community gatherings. Constructed in 1935 by pioneers in the district, the church hosted regular religious services and other community events for forty years. After the church closed in 1975, it stood vacant for ten years until the community decided to restore the property and resumed using it for special occasions.

The heritage value of the property also lies in its architecture. Like many other churches of the period, the property’s architecture features a muted Gothic Revival-inspired design. This style is best observed in the pointed-arch windows, common for many churches built during the period. However, an aspect unusual for a property of the period is the large octagonal bell tower, which helps distinguish the property from the surrounding farmsteads and contributes to its landmark status in the community.

Source:

Rural Municipality of Meeting Lake No. 466 Bylaw 88/2.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of St. Joseph’s Church resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements that reflect the property’s status as a centre for community gathering, including its position on its original location, open interior space and the open lawns surrounding the church;
-those elements that reflect the property’s architecture, including rectangular floor plan, pointed-arch windows, the regular massing, and steeply pitched gable roof;
-the large wooden cross just south of the church, the wrought iron gate and lettering, and the cross atop the steeple;
-octagonal central bell tower with louvered windows and steeple.