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The Bridge Street Retirement Residence is an Assisted living facility located at 85 Bridge Street East in Belleville, Ontario. In operation since 1989, Bridge Street was constructed utilizing the former Parish Hall of the St. Thomas Anglican Church (located directly across the street at 201 Church Street) as the core administrative and service area of the retirement home. During construction, 61 suites in two residential wings were added onto the Parish Hall. The exterior of these wings and the additional amenity space that was added were designed to match that of the existing Parish Hall, resulting in a modern structure that preserved the historical heritage of the original building. == History of St. Thomas Anglican Church, Rectory, and Parish Hall == The original congregation of the St Thomas' Anglican Church was formed December 26, 1818, with the first church service being held in June, 1821.〔Grauer. Anne L. ("Bodies of evidence: reconstructing history through skeletal analysis" ). Wiley-Liss Inc., 1995, p. 72.〕 Its cemetery was the first public cemetery in Belleville city limits, and plots were initially open to all faiths, although this practice declined once other denominations opened their own churches and cemeteries.〔Grauer. Anne L. ("Bodies of evidence: reconstructing history through skeletal analysis" ). Wiley-Liss Inc., 1995, p. 72.〕 As Belleville's population exploded from 100 people in 1816 to 700 by 1830,〔Grauer. Anne L. ("Bodies of evidence: reconstructing history through skeletal analysis" ). Wiley-Liss Inc., 1995, p. 72.〕 the congregation quickly outgrew the original structure, leading to a new Church being erected in 1858.〔St. Thomas Anglican Church of Belleville http://stthomasbelleville.ca/historyc6.php〕 Unfortunately, this structure was partially destroyed by fire only 18 years later, but was then rebuilt on the standing walls in order to maintain its original appearance and dimensions.〔St. Thomas Anglican Church of Belleville http://stthomasbelleville.ca/historyc6.php〕 In 1871, St. Thomas Anglican Church built a rectory across from the Church on the south side of Bridge Street. Modeled after an English house that Reverend Henry Patton had lived in prior to moving to Canada, this building held the offices of the superintendent and bursar, and served as living quarters for young men in the 8-11 age group. In 1912, the Parish Hall was built adjacent to the school headquarters to provide more space for classes and other church functions. The hall included a stage and was often the site of wedding receptions and other community functions; a gymnasium was later added in the 1950s. By the late 1980s both the Parish Hall and the adjoining rectory fell into disuse and were put up for sale. The site, Parish Hall, and rectory were purchased by a group led by Caretenders for the development and construction of the Bridge Street Retirement Residence. Fire struck the St. Thomas Anglican Church again on April 30, 1975, this time destroying the most of the building and leaving only the outside walls and tower intact. The structure was rebuilt as a freestanding structure and then attached to the original external walls.〔St. Thomas Anglican Church of Belleville http://stthomasbelleville.ca/historyc6.php〕 In 1990, following the sale of the Parish Hall to the group led by Caretenders Inc., St. Thomas Anglican Church constructed a new glass-enclosed Parish center on their Church Street property that is directly attached to the church.〔Anglican Churches in Ontario http://pg.webring.com/cgi-bin/members/blog.cgi?userid=9970269223171&monthyear=Aug_2008〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Bridge Street Retirement Residence」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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