Demolition crews have been busy clearing away the last remnants of the 80 year old Knox Metropolitan United Church which has stood at the corner of 109 St NW and 83 Ave NW since 1943. Making way for the eventual redevelopment of the site, plans are now underway to build a 9-storey residential development with up to 172 units. 

Demolition crews take a bite out of old church, image courtesy Knox Metropolitan twitter feed

Captured above in an action shot courtesy the Knox Metropolitan United Church's twitter feed, heavy machinery has been chomping away at the historic structure all week, the site to likely be completely cleared over the next few days. 

Octogonal window, soon to pass on, image by Forum contributor Roland Bressmer

While those interested in heritage will be sad to see the church's fine details lost to the trash heap, many will take heart in the fact that soon the site will become home to hundreds of new residents.  

Knox Metropolitan United Church Redevelopment, image via City of Edmonton

Located near the southern tip of the 109 St NW commercial corridor in Garneau, the injection of some much-needed pedestrian vibrancy in the area will likely encourage more of the same in coming years as Edmonton's urban renewal process continues to spread outwards from the core. 

Street view rendering, image via City of Edmonton

Depicted in the renderings as the site of new retail, bike lanes, and a host of streetscape enhancements, the future of the Knox Metropolitan United Church redevelopment site may very well be a bright one. 

SkyriseEdmonton will be sure to return to this project as progress continues. For more information, check out the associated Database file and Forum thread, and as always, feel free to join the conversation in the comments section below.