Gender Segregation and Sacred Architecture : A Study of George Street Methodist Church, Peterborough, Ontario

Abstract

This paper starts with a brief architectural history of George Street United Church, Peterborough, Ontario, which includes an account of a failed attempt at gender segregation which took place in 1889. The paper then looks at Methodist gender construction, masculine and féminine ideals, and its paradoxical notions of “womanhood.” It explores, with examples from contemporary churches, how gender concepts were incorporated into sacred architecture. The article concludes with one explanation for the disintegration of Wesley’s mid-18th-century idea of forced gender ségrégation by the end of the 19^th century.

Résumé

Cet article trace l’historique architectural de l’Église unie Georges Street, à Peterborough, en Ontario, y compris son histoire de ségrégation sexuelle (que l’on a essayé d’instaurer en 1889) et la façon dont les méthodistes concevaient les distinctions sexuelles. L’auteur explore l’architecture sacrée de l’époque comme moyen d’incorporer certains idéaux, dont celui de John Wesley, du masculin et du féminin. Il conclut son essai par une explication de l’abandon à la fin du XIX^e siècle de la ségrégation sexuelle chez les méthodistes.