Province House facelift
Parks Canada offers detailed outline of massive, three-year structural overhaul of national historic site
One of the most historic and most unique construction projects ever undertaken in Prince Edward Island has finally broken ground.
The building that hosted the original meeting of the Fathers of Confederation that led to the formation of Canada is getting a $47 million structural facelift.
Province House National Historic Site will be dismantled, stone by stone, and put back together again.
It’s a massive undertaking that took two years of pre-design, engineering and conservation planning before anyone could even consider putting a shovel in the ground.
But now the plans have been drawn and the first of three phases of the project has begun. “We found that the building was in poor condition structurally so we have to repair it to make sure it will stay around for the next 150 years,” said Greg Shaw, project leader for Parks Canada, which operates the building.
“It’s such a significant building for us and for Canada, we have to protect it.”
The building is in need of significant and extensive repairs due to water infiltration that has caused the interior Island sandstone walls to crumble. Province House has an exterior wall made from light coloured stone from Nova Scotia, and an interior wall made from Island sandstone. The interior wall is being entirely replaced by construction brick while the exterior stones will be cleaned, removed, repaired and placed back again. The roof must also be replaced with more modern roofing material, but this will be covered by copper and slate, to retain the heritage defining elements of the building. While construction crews are at work, Parks Canada staff will be busily documenting the whole project. They are also looking at ways the public can remain engaged in the work, including possible webcams installed on the construction site.
Karen Janz, field unit superintendent with Parks Canada, says she was pleasantly surprised to hear one of the contractors talk about how they are approaching the building with “reverence” as they work on it.
“I thought that’s actually the perfect word to use in terms of the way they are handling those heritage fabrics.”
The building operates as P.E.I.’ provincial legislature, but also as a museum and tourist attraction. It is owned by the province but operated by Parks Canada thanks to a 99-year memorandum of understanding, signed in 1974, making the federal government responsible for any “restoration, preservation, interpretation and administration” of the building. Ottawa has dedicated $47 million to the project, including $6 million earmarked for fire code updates and universal accessibility features to enhance safety and public accessibility. But Shaw noted this is a structural restoration, and does not include any changes to the interpretive aspects of the buildings.
Up until its temporary closure in 2015, only 35 per cent of the building was being utilized by Parks Canada, while the remaining 65 per cent was used by the province.
Some elements within the building were not being actively used, notably in the basement where former servants quarters are located.
Parks Canada says it is exploring the possibility of expanding its interpretive offerings, but this would require more money.
For now, the focus is on restoring Province House’s structural integrity and getting it open and functioning again. The majority of the Island stone being replaced by brick will be turned over to the province, with a small quantity going to Parks Canada. The province is now considering options for using the stone in “ways that reflect its historic value,” according to a briefing note tabled in the legislature.
The entire project is scheduled to be complete before the end of 2020, a deadline Parks Canada says it is optimistic it can meet.
“It’s a lot easier to change a line on a paper than it is to change a wall of a building, so that’s why we spent a lot of time in the planning stages,” Shaw said.
“All indications are that we will complete the project on time.”