pointed arched window
bell cote
St. Matthias Anglican Church has design value as a rare example of a late 19th century church identified as a heritage resource in Etobicoke that was designed in the Victorian Gothic Revival style. Popularized for religious architecture in the late 1800's and early 1900's, the hallmarks of the style include the pointed arched window openings and picturesque roof line with a bell cote that are illustrated at St. Matthias.
The property is associated with the historical development of the Westmount community, which was founded in World War I era as a residential neighborhood for workers at the munitions plants across the Humber River in Weston. Following its move to Westmount in the early 1920's, St. Matthias Anglican Church became an important institutional building in the hamlet.
The church is also linked to Hurricane Hazel, the tragic event that occurred on October 15, 1954 and devastated the Westmount community. When they flooding of the Humber River swept away houses in Westmount, culminating in the deaths of 36 residents, St. Matthias served as a rescue center for the neighborhood during the storm and in the days that followed.
Contextually, with its country church appearance and placement on the corner lot on Scarlett Road south of Lawrence Avenue West, St. Matthias Anglican Church is a local landmark in Etobicoke.
[Referenced from - Revised Reasons for Designation (May 17, 2010)]