In the heart of McCauley, a red-brick building sits quietly on the corner of 96 Street and 109A Avenue. Once home to St. Stephen’s Anglican Church — a Tudor Revival structure built in 1914 — it now houses Studio96.
Though it’s no longer a church in function, it still looks very much like one: soaring ceilings, dark wooden beams, white arches and columns, and warm candelabra lighting. Natural light pours through large windows, and the elevated stage at the back, once used for sermons, choirs and communions, now serves as a backdrop for ceremonies, presentations or intimate concerts.
Step through the doors and you’ll find a bright, welcoming lobby. There’s a coat rack to your left, and to the right, a large table where guests can sign in or drop off cards and gifts. Through the doors, the main room makes an immediate impression, but downstairs, there’s a tastefully furnished lounge with exposed brick — a comfortable space for guests to mingle while the room above is flipped between ceremony and reception.
But the inviting atmosphere comes from more than just the architecture. It radiates from the warm and friendly team behind Studio96 who saw potential in a building which at one point was just days away from demolition.
That warmth is intentional. While fewer people today are religious, there’s still something deeply resonant about getting married in a church. Whether it’s for the beauty of the space or the tradition behind it, Studio96 offers a secular way to embrace that timeless setting.
Weddings make up the bulk of Studio96’s bookings — about 80 per cent. The rest of the time, it welcomes everything from corporate events to concerts, even a kid’s fashion show. It’s a flexible, visually striking space rich in character.
But it didn’t start out this way.
When architecture firm E3 Architecture purchased the building in 2010, it had no power, no water and no future plans. Following years of neglect, pigeons had taken up residence in the rafters and permits had been approved to tear it down so the land could be sold off as developable lots.
Architect Ernst von Meijenfeldt had known about the church, but after reading a local article critical of Edmonton’s tendency to demolish heritage buildings, he decided to act. The firm initially considered converting it into a private residence for a client, but when that fell through, von Meijenfeldt and partner Eugene Silva decided to keep it for their own office.
“It all happened very fast,” von Meijenfeldt recalls. “I said to Eugene, ‘That’s a really cute church — it’s a pity they’re going to knock it down.’ And then we contacted the Anglican Church. Anyways, three days later, we owned it.”
They had their work cut out for them. In addition to birds, the building’s interior had been boarded up, covered in graffiti, and took extensive work just to bring the building back to functional shape: repairing walls, and in some cases, removing plaster to reveal original brickwork. But by 2011, the firm had moved into its unconventional new office.
A birthday party hosted by friends revealed its potential as a public space, and event planner Diana Harrison helped shape the idea for Studio96. Renovations to make the building suitable for events — including plumbing upgrades and accessibility improvements — began in 2017.
The team chose not to pursue heritage designation, citing the additional cost and restrictions involved. Instead, they opted for a more informal approach to preservation — one that maintained the building’s original look and atmosphere without being bound by regulatory requirements.
“If we were profit-driven, we would have knocked it down,” says von Meijenfeldt. “We had two building lots — we could have probably put 22 units here and made a fortune. Instead, we did this and we love it.”
Studio96 is a true labour of love, not just because it’s a piece of history that adds character and vibrancy to the neighbourhood, but because its creators deliberately chose to build a space that brings people together, not for profit, but out of genuine care for others.
Studio96
McCauley │10909 96 St NW, Edmonton │ 780.428.8450 | studio96.ca
