Toronto

Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius

3388 Lakeshore Blvd, Toronto Ontario, Canada
Photo Courtesy of Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius

In the website of Toronto’s Orthodox Churches, LivingToronto, Schuster Gindin describes St. Demetrius as being “a magnificent example of the Ukrainian Baroque style.”    https://livingtorontojournal.com/2014/11/30/torontos-orthodox-churches/

The steel and concrete structure, patterned after St. Andrew’s Church in Kyiv, Ukraine, measures 70 feet in width, 100 feet in length, and at the point of the main cupola, 105 feet in height, with four smaller cupolas at each corner.

In June 1954, Vladyka Myhail, blessed the chosen building lot at 3338 Lakeshore Blvd., West, Long Branch, now Etobicoke.  Approval for the $150,000 construction was granted by the Ontario Municipal Board and the Long Branch Municipal Council.  The building contract, dated August 30th, 1954, was signed by Architect, G. Kodak; Parish President, Bill Lapko; Building Committee Chairman, John Lenyk; and witness, M. Kalenchuk.  The parish priest at that time was Rev. George Tsukornyk.  Ivan Lenyk supervised the construction of the church which was completed in 1958.  It became a landmark on the, at that time, the main route from Toronto to Hamilton, and on to Niagara Falls. Tourists would regularly stop to take pictures of this unique edifice gracing the Toronto landscape.

The installation of the four tier iconostas by Ivan Wronski complements the soaring ceilings of the church interior.  https://www.stdemetriusuoc.ca/

Proposed Design Perspective by Yurii Kodak for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius in Toronto
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius in Toronto designed by G. Kodak, Corner Stone, 1954
Ukrainian Voice, February 03, 1960