Christ Church Cathedral School Celebrates

Established in 1989, Cathedral School took root in the Memorial Hall at 912 Vancouver Street, on Victoria's Christ Church Cathedral property. The building has served many purposes for the Cathedral over nearly a century of use. The Memorial Hall was built as a memorial to those who had fallen in World War I. The auditorium was a memorial to Bishop George Hills, the first Anglican Bishop of British Columbia. Ground was broken, and the building’s cornerstone was laid on October 1, 1923.

Christ Church Cathedral School is considering several ways to recognize the milestone. The first is to celebrate the centennial on June 12, 2023, with the faculty, student body, and other dignitaries. Plans are underway to host a 1920s-themed fundraising event on October 21, 2023, tentatively, with the school's parents, alums, and supporters. Christ Church Cathedral is also making plans to mark the anniversary of the Memorial Hall opening.

Stuart Hall, the Cathedral School’s current Head of School, reminisces, “This important heritage building has been a wonderful home for our school. We have taken care of it with upgrades over the past few decades, such as new washrooms, an office area, resized classrooms, and seismic upgrades with the help of the Cathedral Parish. In turn, Memorial Hall has taken very good care of us, providing a hub for our school community and a welcoming environment for staff, students, and parents. Memorial Hall has always played an important role in the life of our city, serving as a meeting space for many social clubs, Sunday School classes, and even a preschool while memorializing those Victorians who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First World War.”

Other plans are being considered in the Fall of 2023 that will be more extensive and community focused. “Memorial Hall has been an important part of the life of Christ Church Cathedral since the very beginning. The Cathedral looks forward to celebrating the centennial of the hall with the school and the wider community.” stated The Reverend Canon Jeannine Friesen, Priest-in-Charge of the Cathedral.

Designed by John Charles Malcolm Keith, the architect of the adjoining Cathedral, and completed before construction of the Cathedral began, the Memorial Hall was intended for use as a church hall. Originally designed to connect to the Cathedral via a small structure on the west end (never built), the Memorial Hall included an auditorium, Sunday school classrooms, a workroom, a guild room, a recreation hall, and an office for the bishop for the Diocese of BC.