July 14th, 2024

Damage

The fire spread throughout the roof structure of the church, which had to be removed to put out the fire.

The fire consumed the choir loft, Memorial Hall, kitchen and vestry, passage to the Large Hall, washrooms and side entrance.

Fortunately, the walls and the stained glass windows of the church itself were largely untouched; the Large Hall also survived.

The demolition of the Memorial Hall walls has begun. It is currently unsafe to venture into this site until the structure has been re-stabilized.

Stained Glass Windows

Most of the stained glass was intact after the fire, however some panes suffered some breakage, smoke and heat damage.

All of the windows have now been removed to be professionally repaired and cleaned.

Once repaired, they will be stored until they can be re-installed once the roof is repaired.

Church Roof

Our most urgent task is to re-install the church roof, as irreparable damage would be done to the foundations and structure will occur if the church were to go through a winter without a secure covering.

We are focusing on completion this year, before winter begins.

The new roof will be as close to the old roof in terms of appearance as can be managed.

Large Hall

The large hall mostly survived the fire, however the basement office areas were flooded.

The heating system, side entry, power inlet and washrooms were severely damaged and have to be replaced before we can utilize the building.

A temporary entrance, washroom , heat source and power inlet are being designed to allow the use of the hall as soon as possible.

The building must have 2 exits for fire safety

Currently, the large hall contains much of the woodwork, altar, pews, plaques and other rescued accessories in a humidity controlled area to prevent further damage.

Items such as the paintings and photographs have been saved and are also kept under controlled conditions off site.

Looking forwards-A greener future!

The new buildings will be designed to be more energy efficient, and we will strive to make the new heating system as ‘green’ as possible.

Our current plan is to replace the oil heating with electric, ground source heat (geothermal) heat pumps.

How will we fund this restoration?

A large portion of the repairs will be covered by our insurance policy, however we don’t yet know the full cost of the repairs.

There will most likely be a shortfall and we will have to find ways to fund the difference, however at this point in time, we cannot directly identify specific needs.

Where would we like to go from here?

Over the years, since 1842, the St.James' campus has been a spiritual, cultural and community centre.

St.James' Church is of significant heritage value and with its ancillary buildings and cemetery is located in a spectacular location.

It is in the interest of not only the church community but also the entire surrounding community that the entire St.James' campus be preserved in perpetuity.

Over the coming months the church, with input from the community, will identify what are the long term needs and from here what are the financial requirements in order to meet the identified goals.

We look to the entire community of Hudson, the surrounding area and all those interested in the future of this special place for you support.

We look forward to the future as we undertake and fulfill our exciting plans together.