A kirk on the hill to call the faithful to worship, the Gore Presbyterian Church designed by pre-eminent Dunedin architect Robert Arthur Lawson, was built in 1880 and served its congregation until its closure in 1995.

This simple timber church is significant as one of Lawson’s few surviving timber churches. It is historically significant as the home of the Presbyterian congregation in Gore for over 115 years. Its reincarnation as a print making studio for the town’s significant art scene gives the building cultural significance.

Opened in October 1881 on its prominent site above the town, the Gore Presbyterian Church seated 200. A growing congregation saw civil engineer William Sharp design significant additions in 1892 - the Reverend Ramsay, speaking at the re-opening congratulated the congregation on their new church though ‘he could hardly call it altogether a new church, but it reminded him of the gun which had a new lock, stock and barrel.’ The church served its congregation for more than one hundred years, its centenary celebration was held in 1981. The centennial history recalled the landmark status of the building, erected on a prominent site where its visibility was a testament of the importance of faith to the Gore Presbyterian community. The renowned Eastern Southland Art Gallery Incorporated acquired the church after its closure and is in the process of converting the building to a print making studio and artist’s residency.

East Gore sits on the true left of the Mataura River in Southland, on the opposite bank of the main Gore township. The church is located on a rise overlooking the river. The orientation of the church runs parallel to Rock Street. It is cruciform in plan. The Church is constructed of timber, clad in weatherboard, with a corrugated iron roof. The spire is on the south elevation and only partially visible from Rock Street. There is little decoration. The spire has paired Lancet windows on the ground floor, and a set of triple Lancet windows with louvres on the first floor level. There is a porch and door on the south elevation providing access to the grassed area to the rear of the church. The main interior detailing comes from the King Post trusses that run across the nave.

In 2012 the former Gore Presbyterian Church is undergoing restoration in preparation for its new role as a printmaking studio and accommodation for an artist in residence.