Community group fundraising to repair St. James Hall

By Michelle Poirier

The Friends of St. James Hall, a local community group, is holding a yard sale to raise funds to pay for the much needed renovation of St. James Hall in Sutton, after being closed to the public for almost 10 years. 

“Our kick-off event for the fundraiser is the yard sale, and that is August 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., with a rain date of September 4,” Kim Gollinger, People’s Warden for the Parish of Georgina, said. 

According to the history of the Hall, provided by Gollinger, St. James Parish Hall was originally the first public school in Sutton and was built in 1840 on land donated by James Bourchier, the town’s founder. St. James Anglican Church was built on land adjacent to the Hall in 1857, and after a new brick school was constructed in 1870-74, the Church obtained the Hall in 1882.

Gollinger said the Hall was used for many things including; church services and functions, for town meetings, as a dance school, a nursery school, A.A. meetings, and community and private events. 

The Anglican Parish of Georgina has two historic churches to upkeep: St. James and St. George. So any additional renovations are challenging. 

After a building inspection of the Hall in 2010 identified structural work that needed to be done, the parish paid for temporary repairs. But, in 2012, another inspection was done and the Hall was deemed unfit for its intended use. So, it was closed down, and The Friends of St. James Hall was formed to find a solution. In 2019, the Hall was designated as a Heritage building by Town Council. 

The group is currently waiting to get new estimates and a new building inspection, so they can have a better idea of the amount they will need to raise during their fundraising efforts. 

“The Hall is more important to the community than the church even, because it was the first public school in Sutton and it was built in 1840, so it’s very important to the history of not only the Town, but of Upper Canada buildings; it’s one of the still remaining wooden buildings,” she said. 

Golllinger said they are planning more fundraisers and they are trying to get grants for the renovations because it is a heritage building.

“When it is open, it is widely used by a number of community organizations,” Rev. Canon Dr. David Neelands, Priest-in-Charge for the Parish of Georgina, said.

“It’s got big open space and a beautiful kitchen, so it’s a great place to have receptions, showers, birthdays. It is a very functional and useful space for the community.” 

The Hall currently has two signs on the lawn that give a brief history of the Hall to inform the community. Gollinger said the signs were donated by Terry Vine of Jackson’s Point Sign Company.

“This is an important part of the Town, it really gives the Town character and the look of the building is impressive when you look across the green space and you see one of the oldest buildings in town,” Rev. Neelands said.

Gollinger said they will be following COVID-19 guidelines during the yard sale and will enforce physical distancing, masking, and they are talking about controlling the entrance and exit. 

The group is accepting donations for the yard sale. The donation drop off is at the St. James church on August 24 and 26, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. 

They are asking for anything, but don’t want any clothing donations. To make other arrangements for drop offs or to ask any questions, email parish@parishofgeorgina.org or call 905-722-3726.