Former church ready to serve artistic community
Work on Heart’s Content Regional Centre for the Arts almost finished
If you’ve taken some drives through Heart’s Content in Trinity Bay over the last yearand-a-half or so, you’ve probably noticed a lot of activity at the former Heyfield United Memorial Church.
Situated along the shoreline, the 138-year-old structure underwent extensive renovations. Today, it practically looks brand new.
Instead of serving as a venue for sermons and prayer, the new Heart’s Content Regional Centre for the Arts will host all manner of events dedicated to promoting the arts. An idea at the heart of the Mizzen Heritage Society’s decision to purchase the building five years ago for $1, that vision is just about ready to be realized.
“It’s a wonderful feeling,” society president Claude Rockwood told The Compass last week standing inside the newly renovated building. “Words can’t describe what we’ve done here, and what the church has become in terms of fulfilling our dreams as an arts centre.”
As of late-last week, about 98 per cent of the work on the physical structure was complete, with only some electrical work remaining. The group received almost $300,000 in federal and provincial funding, with the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador pitching in $30,000. Fundraising efforts by the group itself added almost $40,000.
“The whole building itself really, there was a lot of work involved no matter what we did,” said Rockwood. “Where it was an old building, everything seemed to be a challenge.”
A consistent effort was made to respect the historical integrity of the building, which is a registered heritage structure. For example, there’s a new performance stage in the area where the minister would’ve led Sunday services, but the brand new stairs leading up to it wouldn’t look out of place in a centuryold saltbox house.
The original wainscoting is still in place upstairs, though new pieces were built to replace some of the paneling. The difference between the old and new is barely noticeable.
Some materials were even repurposed. Parts of the old pews were used to create a wall for a storage space located above the box office and bathrooms on the main floor.
Downstairs will be the kitchen and some change rooms. The full kitchen is still a work in progress, as the group needs to find additional funding to cover the cost of setting it up.
As a performance venue, Rockwood expects the centre will seat approximately 130, or 85-90 with tables.
“We’re open to anything,” he said. “As one of our members said one time, ‘Access to art for all.’ It kind of sums up what we’re hoping to be about. Anything and everything.”
The building was open to the public earlier this summer to help celebrate the 150th anniversary of the transatlantic cable laying in Heart’s Content. Oil paintings and prints created by artist William Palmer were displayed that week, and Rockwood expects it will be open again next month for the Heart’s Content Cable Conference, happening Sept. 9-10.