River Beach Townhouses

Townhome Development

Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, CAN  2000

A fire destroyed the historic British Methodist Episcopalian Church in 1990. Philip Beesley worked with the congregation to plan a new facility rising from the surviving building fragments. A new design was created that included an open-air cloister bordered by original masonry walls that led to the main sanctuary above and community rooms at a lower level. Programming and project feasibility studies were produced, resulting in a design illustrated with concept images demonstrating the close-knit community relationships offered by the new facility. Despite wide support, financial pressures eventually led the church to withdraw from the site.