Windows to the past
Holland College heritage retrofit carpentry students take part in Province House restoration
Pierre Delbecq of Belgium has seen his share of impressive, historic buildings.
He likes to imagine how old structures, like a thousand-yearold cathedral in his native country, were constructed.
Now the 36-year-old Delbecq will have a hand in restoring a couple of windows from Province House – P.E.I.’s most significant building.
He is one of a dozen students from Holland College’s heritage retrofit carpentry program set to work on two complete windows that each have 12 panes, measure four feet wide and nine feet high and were built about 175 years ago.
“It’s an honour to be on the project,’’ says Delbecq.
“It’s exciting.’’
Josh Silver, learning manager for the heritage retrofit carpentry program, says the students' project is the result of a partnership between Holland College and Parks Canada that will give his students experience working on an international level restoration project.
“I am so pleased,’’ he says. “These students are full engaged, asking all kinds of technical questions.’’
The two windows, which were stripped by a contractor, arrived at the carpentry workshop two weeks ago.
Silver anticipates about two weeks’ worth of work per student to repair all the wooden parts of the window where there is dry rot, cracks and missing or rotted pieces.
The windows, which are among 101 at the national historic site, will be reinstated next summer in their familiar spot prominently located on the first floor of the Richmond Street side of Province House.
Silver says the carpentry students will be able to proudly point to their handiwork for decades to come.
On Wednesday, students had a special visitor to help prepare them for their important restoration task.
Octavio Salcedo of DFS, an architectural firm in Montreal that specializes in conservation, provided a detailed workshop.
Salcedo told The Guardian he has a strong piece of advice for the carpentry students in tackling their special project.
“You are responsible not to mess it,’’ he says.
“You don’t have a second opportunity to do it right. So, you have to do it right from the beginning.’’
Salcedo says restoration of the two windows, which he describes as being very well constructed a long, long time ago, will be an amazing showcase for the carpentry students’ skills and for the college.
Salcedo, who is involved in the restoration of Province House, says the work is progressing amazingly well there.
“All in all, I guess, everything is going along at a very good pace,’’ he says.
“It is being done with a lot of quality.’’
The entire restoration, which is expected to cost more than $60 million, is expected to be completed by 2021. Parks Can- ada could not be reached for comment on the progress of the major restoration.