DEVELOPING DOWNTOWN
Murphy Hospitality Group receives annual heritage award
Murphy Hospitality Group receives annual heritage award
Kevin and Kathy Murphy are the recipients of the Catherine G. Hennessey Award for 2019.
The Charlottetown couple received the annual heritage award for their work in downtown Charlottetown. The award, which is presented to an individual or group whose efforts have increased the appreciation of Charlottetown, stimulated love for the community or helped shape the city was announced at City Hall on Heritage Day, Feb. 19.
The Murphys, who have managed Murphy Hospitality Group for 39 years, operate The Great George Hotel on Great George Street and own several Charlottetown restaurants, such as the Gahan House and Fishbones.
Much of their downtown efforts are connected to wanting the area to be a pedestrian-friendly place to visit.
“It’s all about making this place a destination,” Kevin said. “We’re very much excited we’re a part of it.”
They’ve done extensive work renovating downtown’s heritage buildings and have helped colour the outdoor area by adding flowerbeds and statues along the streets, Kevin said.
Kathy, who does a lot of the design work, said some of their buildings retain an older, Victorian style, while some have become fresher and more contemporary.
“It’s just really creating spaces that are cozy and comfortable.”
The couple has also been involved in numerous projects, such as helping to lay the cobblestones on Victoria Row and playing a role in replacing the bells of St. Dunstan’s Basilica in 2017.
In addition to presenting several other Heritage Awards to organizations and individuals that have helped foster Charlottetown’s heritage, the Heritage Day event honoured the University of Prince Edward Island, which was established 50 years ago. UPEI history professor Edward MacDonald was also on hand to speak about the history of P.E.I.’s higher education.
This history will be featured in a new exhibit on Queen Street, called “On Saints and Welshmen: The Evolution of Post-Secondary Education in Charlottetown”.
One of the people who was involved in that evolution was Malcolm Beck, whose son, Gordie, attended the award ceremony at City Hall.
In an interview following the award presentation, Beck recalled how his father, a Protestant psychiatrist, worked to bridge the divide between the Island’s Protestant and Catholic communities — one that extended somewhat into postsecondary education with Prince of Wales College (PWC) and St. Dunstan’s University (SDU).
The two schools were competing to receive federal funds. Many people, including Malcolm Beck, wanted to form a single institution, thinking it was better for education, Beck said. Others were opposed to the schools amalgamating, partly because of the religious issue. For two to three years, Malcolm Beck worked with people such as John Maloney and John Eldon Green, as well as other interested people across the Island, including priests and politicians.
In 1969, under the leadership of Premier Alex Campbell, the province merged the schools into the University of Prince Edward Island, a non-denominational institution.
“For that change to take place took a lot of work,” said Beck.
In his remarks, MacDonald noted that SDU and PWC did a good job of responding to P.E.I.’s needs for education, which resulted in people like Malcolm Beck seeking to improve it.
“That education would provide us with leadership.”