It takes a village

The Pews in Merrickville is music, oh yes. And so much more.

"When Herb Cloutier was performing, you could have heard a pin drop..."

Anne Barr says there are three important spaces in our lives.

There’s home.

There’s work.

And there’s social time.

In Merrickville, Ont., that third space is -- happily for so many -- The Pews. Anne Barr is a moving force in bringing it to life.

The Pews was once a Methodist, then United, Church, built in 1890. It could have become a ruin or just another commercial venture. The community not only saved it but turned it into a treasure.

The Pews was once an old church built in 1890. About five years ago, after standing on the corner of Lawrence and Main Streets for generation after generation, through the dawn of two centuries, it closed. The beautiful building was in danger of becoming either a ruin or just another commercial venture.

Now it is a non-profit community treasure that is so welcoming, lively, comfortable, creative and visually appealing that it is attracting people not only from Ottawa but from as far away as Western and Eastern Canada and the state of New York.

The Pews is many things. For one, it’s a prime music venue in a beautiful old church building that attracts great “names” in the industry, (folk, country, bluegrass, blues, you name it) from all over. Because of its superb acoustics, the sound is as sweet as anything you’ll hear in the best concert halls.

But The Pews is more than music. It’s a place for offices forged out of former Sunday School rooms ‒ at the moment for a music teacher, a tattoo artist, and a “regular” business.

In the basement there is studio space for music or art. Rideau Community Health Services uses it to deliver a free, weekly art session to the community because the building is accessible for those with mobility issues. (“It's been a great partnership with them,” says Anne.)

There are art classes for kids, and workshops for adults learning things like fibre art, yoga and martial arts classes ‒ with room to add more.

Colin Linden in a recent performance. Much of the building is the same as it always was, with the original organ pipes, stained-glass windows and the altar rail, lovingly kept and protected under the semi-circular wooden stage.

Visually, the space is a feast for the eyes: the stained glass windows, high gothic arches, beautiful restored wooden floors, magnificent organ pipes ‒ and of course the polished antique pews. They are aesthetically pleasing but also give you the feeling that you are standing in history.

There are modern touches that would not have existed for the older Methodist and United Church folk, however. In each row of pews are wooden cocktail tables. At the back is a bar. There are modern bathrooms.

This all happened, and continues to happen, because of a vibrant community and a team of determined volunteers.

Local United Church members had tried heroically to keep the doors open. Originally designed for 200 people, the congregation, as in so many churches in this century, had dwindled to maybe 20 or so. But they were creative in their determination to keep it.

About 9 or 10 years ago they partnered with an event company, which made some clever adjustments and upgrades, including the addition of small round wooden tables throughout so it could be used as a concert place.

Music lovers sit on the original curved church pews that give the venue its name. There are round tables throughout for refreshments the audience can buy at the bar at the back.

They repainted the old walls and reconfigured the altar, organ and choir area so they could have a music event on Saturday night but switch back to Sunday services the next day. (Now the original altar rail is covered, untouched and protected, by a wooden semi-circular stage.)

The congregation was making a go of it and it seemed to be a success… until COVID hit. The event company had to back out and there was nothing more to do.

In January 2024, a big “For Lease” sign went up on the building.

“And that,” recalls Anne, “was the trigger that made us move quickly. We didn’t want to lose that building as a public space. It was a big concern of mine that the building was just going to sit empty and we’d lose the opportunity to use it for the community.”

The real estate management arm of the United Church was receiving applications for the building. Other applicants likely wanted it as a commercial property, but the community of Merrickville said they planned on keeping it in public use.

“I think that might have carried the day for us,” Anne says. They were the successful applicants.

They reached out to the community before they even signed the lease. Anne said they wanted to “test the waters” to see who might support the idea. They spoke to the local Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club and Historical Society. People were “cautiously optimistic” at first, but they liked the idea.

“We’ve been extremely fortunate in the support we’ve received,” Anne says. “Not just financially but with all the comments from people who say what we’re doing is wonderful.”

They didn’t apply for a grant. They raised the money themselves. They started with a membership model, but that didn’t work. Then they turned to providing rental space for offices, community groups and music events. That, and enthusiastic support from the community, got things rolling.

There was a good deal of work to be done. The basement, for one thing, had to be cleared out. That took about six months with a team of volunteers cleaning, tidying, organizing, and getting rid of years of accumulated stuff.

They had to get new emergency lighting, upgrade the electrical system, and create offices out of Sunday School rooms. And they had to add new accessible bathrooms.

The rent and fees from offices and events go directly and solely to simply maintaining the building. That, and good old grassroots fundraising keep it going.

Recently The Pews hosted a musical event with 10 different acts to raise money for a new furnace. Most of the musicians returned the fee they charged for their performances.

A recent fundraiser, with 10 superb musicians performing, was so successful it meant not only a new furnace for The Pews but the beginning of a fund for the next one.

One of the musicians who performed at the fundraiser was Herb Cloutier, who is also one of The Pews’ biggest supporters. He is the owner of J.A.M. productions and he provides audio equipment support for nearly all musical events “at a unbeatable rate”, as Anne calls it.

“When Herb was performing at the fundraiser,” Anne says, “you could have heard a pin drop because the audience was so swept up in his music. It was truly a magical moment. We owe him a huge thank you.”

The whole community came out to hear the music and enjoy a lasagna dinner. They raised not only enough to install a new furnace but to begin a fund for the next one.

“And people are still sending donations because they missed that event,” Anne says.

“What resonates most with me about this,” says Jacob Kirst, President of Lagois·Design·Build Renovate,” is that the fundraiser didn’t just solve an immediate need, but created a fund for the next furnace as well. That kind of foresight reflects the same mindset we bring to our work at Lagois: building and renovating in a way that respects history, serves people, and stands the test of time.”

Volunteers keep coming forward. They see the success of the place and they want to be part of it.

So do the musicians. They keep coming, partly because they hear about the unique and delightful venue, and partly because of a man by the name of George Tierney. George has a long history with Canadian folk music and connects with well-known musicians.

“George calls them up and says, ‘do you want to come and play at this really cool new venue?’", Anne says. “And they say yes.”

On April 30, Valdy will be playing. In February, Danny Michel. In March, The Barrel Boys. And on it goes.

In between these headline events are the smaller, more intimate ones that musicians love so much. These are the regular songwriters’ circles with well-known musicians such as Arthur McGregor, Anna Ludlow, Ian Tamblyn, and Lynn Miles.

“You hear the songwriters talk about how they were inspired to create a piece and then they play it,” Anne says. “It’s absolutely wonderful.”

When you ask Anne if she is not only the main mover and shaker behind The Pews but that it wouldn’t have happened without her, she dodges the question.

“I’m one of the founding members, that’s all,” she says.

She adds it comes down to a statement one of the board members is so fond of.

 “It takes a village,” she says.

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