One of the Canada’s oldest Black churches faces an uncertain future with the owner applying to repeal the 150-year-old building’s heritage designation.

Since 1983 the British Methodist Episcopal Church at 430 Grey St. in London, Ont., has had full heritage designation. Built between 1868 and 1871, the yellow brick church has served as a place of worship and gathering for London’s Black community, including many who fled slavery by way of the Underground Railroad.

It was originally known as the African Methodist Church which started in 1856 with a location on Thames Street before the brick building was built on Grey Street in what is now London’s SoHo neighbourhood.

Built in Gothic Revival style, the church features stained glass windows along its sides and a large, spade-shaped stained glass window over the entry which bears the church’s name.

“There are a lot of heritage buildings in London and many of them are very near and dear to my heart,” said Benjamin Vazquez, president of the London branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. “But this is possibly, the most important one with ties to London’s Black Community.”

WATCH | Pastor plans to fight for historic church:

Historic Black church pushes back against request to remove heritage designation

The owner of Beth-Emmanuel Church at 430 Grey Street in London, Ont., is requesting the removal of a heritage designation for the property. Philip Omondi, the pastor of House of Destiny Church, which leases the building, is calling on the city council to deny the request.

“It’s one of the few churches in London associated with the Black community that’s still standing,” he said. “It has direct ties to the Underground Railroad and it’s a neighbourhood landmark.”

The brick church is actually the second building on the site the congregation used. The original church, known as the slave chapel, sat beside it before it was relocated to Fanshawe Pioneer Village in 2022.

The yellow brick building has had many different congregations over the years and is currently owned by the British Methodist Episcopal Church, which is based in Toronto.

The application to repeal the bylaw that gives the church building its protected heritage status was filed on April 9. CBC News reached out to representatives of the British Methodist Episcopal Church for comment about their application, but did not receive a reply on Monday.

Demolition a real possibility

Vazquez said if city council votes to repeal the heritage designation, the church’s owners could apply for a demolition permit.

The church building is also currently listed for sale on Realtor.ca for $1.2 million, a price that includes the property where the church stands and adjacent vacant lot.

“Together, these lots present a rare chance to create much-needed rental units and maximize value in a growing market,” the ad reads.

Pastor Philip Omondi and the members of his congregation plan to challenge the repeal application.

“We’re literally praying it won’t happen,” he told CBC News. “We’re also going to fight it.”

Omondi is the pastor of the House of Destiny Church, which began renting the church building last fall. His congregation, about 70 strong, are mainly Londoners of African heritage.

“There are a lot of families in the congregation with children,” he said. “There’s a lot of room to grow.”

Application left pastor ‘caught by surprise’

Omondi said he was in negotiation with the church’s owners to buy the church and keep it operating as a place of worship and community hub with after school programs and daycare services. He was in the process of raising $250,000 to update the church’s kitchen area among other upgrades.

He only learned of the repeal application last week when he was notified about it by Carl Cadogan, chair of London’s Black Heritage Council.

“I was caught by surprise,” said Omondi. “We could lose a great piece of history not only for Black Londoners but for everyone in Canada. This is one of the oldest Black churches in the country.”

The SoHo neighbourhood is growing rapidly, with large multi-storey residential towers built or under construction on adjacent streets and at the former site of Victoria Hospital.

Omondi said the church should be kept to reflect the area’s history as new development grows around it, instead of over it.

He said members of his congregation are going to actively petition city hall to oppose removing the church’s heritage designation.

“We are opposing [the repeal motion],” he said. “We should not lose such historical places.”

The 30-day period to file a notice of objection ends May 9.

The owner’s application to repeal the heritage designation is scheduled to come before the city’s Community Advisory Committee on Planning on June 18. After that, it will come before the city council’s Planning and Environment Committee, likely on July 14.

If approved there, it will go to the full council.

Do you have a compelling personal story that can bring understanding or help others? We want to hear from you. Here’s more info on how to pitch to us.

For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of.