Notre Dame convent getting new life
Concept drawings show micro-apartments, five-star boutique inn
Members of the public got their first look at concept drawings for the redevelopment of Notre Dame Convent Thursday night and the general consensus appears to be a big thumbs up.
Several former sisters of Notre Dame were among those who ventured out to an open house on the proposed development to view the drawings and a short slide presentation depicting what some of the interior spaces would look like.
While she declined to be interviewed, one of the sisters voiced her approval of the project and her delight at seeing a place that had played such an important role in her life get a new lease on life.
And it is very much a new lease on life.
Plans call for the convent to be redeveloped as 40 high-end microapartments that will range in size from 400 to 650 square feet per unit.
The smaller wing of the building, referred to as the 1911 chapel, will become a five-star, 21-room boutique inn.
“The size profile for each room will be approximately 400 to 480 square feet,’’ the developer says. “We will develop a different theme for each floor that will focus on luxury and quality.”
And the rooms which flashed across the screen during the open house were certainly luxurious.
Ken DesRoches, who’s hoping to represent the area after Monday’s municipal election, said he was quite impressed by what he saw and is completely in favour of it.
“You wonder about the viability of it given the beauty of it but it’s absolutely marvelous and
will be a tremendous addition to the city, fantastic,” DesRoches said.
He believes the Notre Dame development will help revitalize that section of the city.
“The amazing thing to me, the great benefit in this environment is private sector investment of that nature and to that extent in an older part of the city. It’s wonderful.”
Project manager Gordon MacPherson said there appears to be tremendous support for the project.
MacPherson said there will be some who will wonder if the market for this development exists in Charlottetown.
The developers are confident that it does.
“At the end of the day, overall, there is tremendous support for it. We’ve gotten some very positive comments tonight. Everybody I spoke to tonight is encouraged and excited and wants to see the end product.”
MacPherson said the building’s former residents, the sisters of Notre Dame, were among the biggest supporters of the development.
“They realize that the property served a function from day one. It no longer serves that function. What I love about them (the sisters) is that they have a realization that change has to come to the property and that it’s going to come and its going to create a whole new vibrancy within the area, within the neighbourhood, within the city.”
Internal demolition of the building is close to being complete and every effort has been made to preserve the heritage of the building, the existing woodwork and certain other features.
If all goes well, the building could be ready for occupancy by next summer.