Rice, J.P.

RICE, J.P. (fl. 1868-1870), architect of Bowmanville, Ont. was credited as the designer of a distinctive Gothic Revival church located in the village of Manilla, Mariposa Township, in the Kawartha Lakes district of central Ontario. Constructed in 1869 as the Bible Christian Church, MANILLA, ONT., and opened on 11 February 1870, this “white brick” church featured a tower and steeple nearly 100 feet in height. Although the spire has since been removed, the original fabric of the church still stands at No. 8 Church Street, near Edward Street, and has recently been converted into a loft residence called the “Manilla Church Guest House”, and still standing in 2023. A detailed architectural description of the church was published in The Lindsay Expositor [Lindsay, Ont.], on 10 March 1870, p. 2, col. 5. No information has yet been found on the architect J.P. Rice, but the knowledge and skill evident in his design may indicate that he is likely the designer of other ecclesiastical works in the Ontario counties of Durham and Victoria during this period.