The Church-like building was

In 1820 the first Presbyterian congregation in Toronto (then the Town of York) was formed, and after the donation of land from Jessie Ketchum, built a church on Richmond Street. This church was known as First Presbyterian Congregation of York, Upper Canada, and James Harris [see photo] (later to be Ketchum's son in law) became minister. The building above was completed in 1821.

Later a schoolhouse was added adjoining the church.

Artist conception of Knox's Church, 1847 – In 1820 the first Presbyterian congregation in Toronto (then the Town of York) was formed. They erected a church building on Richmond Street on a parcel of land donated by Jessie Ketchum. This church was known as First Presbyterian Congregation of York, Upper Canada, and the Rev James Harris (later to be Jessie Ketchum's son-in-law) became minister.

In 1843, the Church of Scotland split when many of the evangelicals, led by Thomas Chalmers, withdrew to form the Free Church of Scotland. This “disruption” in the Church of Scotland affected congregations in Canada. In Toronto, St. Andrew's (King Street) remained in the “Auld Kirk.” As a result, a group of the more evangelical Presbyterians left St. Andrew's and joined with First Presbyterian to form a new congregation named Knox's Church (named after Scottish Church reformer John Knox). For their first minister, they called the Rev Dr. Robert Burns from Paisley, Scotland. Dr. Burns also served as lecturer and professor at the nearby Knox Free Church Theological College. (For an interesting reference to Dr. Burns and his bearskin coat, see this article.)

In 1874 the old York Church was destroyed by fire. The congregation built a new larger church on the same lot, this time facing Queen Street West between Yonge and Bay (see artist's conception above). One of the most prominent members of this church was George Brown, founder of the Toronto Globe and Mail and a member of the Fathers of Confederation who negotiated the formation of the Dominion of Canada in 1867.

Inside the sanctuary on Queen Street West in 1847 [between Yonge and Bay]

Taken at the corner of Yonge and Queen street, looking east. The spire of Knox pierces the sky.

From the corner of Yonge and Richmond Streets April 4, 1897. South elevation of Knox Church on right.

Knox's Church (predecessor of Knox Presbyterian Church), constructed in 1847, can be seen on the far right in this 1894 photo of The Robert Simpson Company department store at the corner of Queen and Yonge. In 1894 the church was extensively damaged in a fire that began next door in the Simpson building. This fire destroyed the steeple, which was never fully rebuilt. Overtime Knox's location became more commercial with fewer residents in the area. At that time Toronto had strict Lord's Day laws that prevented public transit from running on Sundays, making it imperative that churches be located near to the population. As well, the Robert Simpson Company wanted to expand and offered a financial incentive. These and other factors played a role in the decision to move the church to the ‘suburbs'; and in January 1906, the church officially moved into its present location at 630 Spadina Avenue. The present sanctuary was completed in 1909.

The Robert Simpson Co., department store is shown after the great fire of 1894. Knox [at the right] received damage but remained in this location until 1905.