Church is first Canadian building digitally archived in CyArk world heritage database

Saskatoon’s historic Third Avenue United Church is the latest addition to the CyArk world heritage database, allowing people from all over the world to virtually tour the building. This was made possible by a partnership between Stantec, Tourism Saskatoon, CyArk and Third Avenue Centre.

Third Avenue United Church is among 100 major world historical landmarks archived by CyArk, an international non-profit organization dedicated to digitally preserving the world’s cultural heritage sites. CyArk’s preserved sites include Pompeii, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the RMS Titanic, the Sydney Opera House, and now, Third Avenue United Church.

The inclusion of the Saskatoon building in CyArk’s online archive is an incredible way to showcase the best of the city’s architecture and culture to the international community. It also highlights the importance of the facility as a cultural landmark in Saskatoon.   

“Six years ago, Saskatoon celebrated its national designation as Canada’s Cultural Capital. Third Avenue United Church is one of those unique attractions that both helps to represent our built heritage, but also serves as a showcase for a wide range of cultural performances,” said Todd Brandt, President and CEO of Tourism Saskatoon. “It complements other existing tourism and performance showcases because of its theatre size, location in the heart of our community, and dynamic acoustics.”

"This recognition demonstrates once again why it is so important to preserve this structure and to celebrate its significance by transforming it into a cultural gem open to everyone,” said Mark Turner, Third Avenue Centre’s artistic director. “Because of the CyArk website it will quickly become an even more important tourist attraction for visitors from around the world.”

Third Avenue Centre is a grassroots non-profit organization working to protect the future of the church building, supporting its adaptive re-use as a premier concert hall in downtown Saskatoon. In the past few years, Third Avenue United Church has hosted performances by the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, the Amati Quartet, the Saskatoon Children’s Choir, and many more local arts organizations. Several world-renowned musicians have also performed at the church including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the Nylons, Arthur Rubinstein, Duke Ellington and Jan Lisiecki.

“The economic and cultural potential for the future is significant,” said Brandt. “This beautiful facility needs to maintained as part of Saskatoon’s cultural vibrancy.”

Third Avenue United Church can be viewed on CyArk’s online database at cyark.org. For the latest information on upcoming events at the church, please visit Third Avenue Centre’s website at thirdavecentre.org.

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Media contacts:

Mark Turner
Artistic Directora
Third Avenue Centre
turnerstudio@sasktel.net
thirdavecentre@gmail.com

Todd Brandt
President & CEO
Tourism Saskatoon
Direct: 306-931-7574
tbrandt@tourismsaskatoon.com 

About Tourism Saskatoon
Tourism Saskatoon is a membership-based, non-profit visitor and convention bureau marketing Saskatoon and region as a destination of choice for leisure and business travel.  Services include convention and events attraction, media relations, and membership services advocacy.  Tourism Saskatoon is one of only six internationally accredited destination marketing organizations in Canada.  Nicknamed “the hub city” for its numerous domestic and international transportation connections, Saskatoon is known for its expansive parklands and admired for its arts and culture scene, festivals, and major sporting events.  For more information, visit www.tourismsaskatoon.com.