St. James Anglican Church (Vancouver)

St. James' Anglican Church (Saint James Parish of Vancouver, BC) is a unique church building in the Diocese of New Westminster of the Anglican Church of Canada located at the north-east corner of East Cordova Street and Gore Avenue in the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada's Downtown Eastside district of the Strathcona neighbourhood.

The Parish boundaries are Burrard Inlet on the north, Cambie Street on the west, Clarke Drive on the East and a portion of Falser Creek and Terminal Avenue on the south.

The first building was completed in the spring of 1881 on Alexander Street (west of Main Street) in the Township of Granville (aka Gastown), Burrard Inlet to the north west of the present site and was sponsored by Captain James Raymur, the manager of Hastings Mill. Granville was renamed Vancouver when the town was incorporated as a city on April 6, 1886. Before being moved to the second site by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) to make way for their main rail line, this building burned down in the Great Vancouver Fire of June 13, 1886. The heat of the fire melted the church bell into a puddle that was eventually put on display at the Museum of Vancouver.

The second building was built in 1886 on land (east of Main Street) donated by the CPR after the fire. It was post-and-beam English country-style building. Being a wooden structure, it was not considered as permanent. It was torn down in 1935 to make way for the present building. Some furnishings were incorporated into the third building.

The present (and third) church building was designed by Adrian Gilbert Scott who later designed the Church of St. Mary and St. Joseph, Poplar, London, England which has architectural similarities. Another similar church was built in Cairo, Egypt however it was torn down for a new bridge. Its Greek cross design is a combination of Art Deco, Romanesque Revival, Byzantine Revival, and Gothic Revival architecture. The walls are made of reinforced concrete, while the roof is made of slate. The building was constructed between 1935 and 1937 and consecrated in 1938.

The church has an eight-bell chime and its organ is a Casavant Frères (Opus 1605) with 3 manuals, 31 stops and 1,760 pipes. Its High Mass choir is composed of about 20 members including 4 paid section leads and 4 choral scholars.

St. James was the first Anglican parish in Vancouver, formerly Granville (aka Gastown), until the establishment of Christ Church (local church), a daughter church, in 1888 that in 1929 became Christ Church Cathedral - the Diocese's second cathedral. Another daughter church, St. Paul's Anglican Church, was established in 1889, and later became a separate parish and is located in the city's West End.

The worship tradition is Anglo-Catholic. Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer are said daily via Zoom. Said (Low) Mass is celebrated daily except Sunday when an on-line Liturgy via Zoom is held. A Solemn (High) or Sung Mass is sung every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.

The Rector of St James Parish of Vancouver was The Venerable (Father) Kevin Hunt, Archdeacon Emeritus of Burrard. The Interim Priest in charge is The Rev'd Mtr. Amanda Ruston. Reece Wrightman is the Rector's Warden. The other Wardens are Peggy Smyth and Leah Postman. In addition to the Priest in charge and Wardens, the other voting members of the Parish's Board of Trustees are its Lay Delegates to Synod: Michelle Heshka, Ross Hornby, Joanna Lam, and, its Non-Voting Trustees, the Secretary, Linda Adams, and the Treasurer, Andrew Campbell. The Parish Council usually meets quarterly and is chaired by Louisa Farrell and its secretary is Cristalle Watson. The Parish Vestry meets annually or more often as needed. The Vestry Clerk is Linda Adams.