Newfoundland & Labrador > News
'Structures just aren't built the same way as in the past': Heritage designation removed on newer part of St. John's convent to allow for renovations
Council votes to remove heritage designation on part of Presentation Sisters convent
Evan Careen · Multimedia journalist | Posted: Dec. 9, 2022, 12:06 p.m. | Updated: Dec. 9, 2022, 12:06 p.m. | 5 Min Read
Part of the Presentation Sister Convent on Military Road is having its heritage designation removed for a part of the building that was constructed in the 1960s. The change would allow metal siding on that part of the building to improve its sustainability. Courtesy of Heritage NL
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — St. John's is an old city with a lot of old buildings.
A number of them are registered heritage structures — be it federally, provincially, or municipally, or a combination of the three — and each designation has its own set of rules designed to protect the heritage of the building or structure.
One of those properties is the Presentation Sisters Convent and School on Military Road, a stone's throw from the Basilica. The motherhouse was built in the 1850s, with some additions built later, including one believed to be done sometime in the 1960s.
The property is within a municipal heritage district and the St. John's Ecclesiastical District, a National Historic Site of Canada, and parts of the buildings have provincial and municipal heritage designations.
Provincially, the convent is a registered heritage structure, except for the more recent additions.
Municipally, however, it's another story, and that 1960s addition is part of the heritage designation.
That meant an application had to come before St. John's city council to remove municipal heritage designation from the newer part of the building to allow renovations to the convent and the installation of metal siding on the addition.
Council voted in favour of removing the designation from that part of the building, but it was contentious. Before it made it to the public council meeting, plans had been presented to the Built Heritage Experts Panel (BHEP) and at the committee of the whole (COTW) by the company hired by the Sisters, Fougere Menchenton Architecture Inc.
The company said installing the siding is the only viable way to insulate that part of the building. The plan is to turn that portion of the building into affordable individual dwelling units.
The BHEP was against removing the designation, but after hearing the plans from the architecture firm hired by the Sisters, COTW disagreed and put the motion to council.
Coun. Ian Froude voted against the motion in council and also voted against the plans in COTW.
Froude told SaltWire Network he felt there could be other solutions if the applicants and the BHEP had more conversations about the building.
"I felt there was a way forward without going into the de-designation path, removing the designation," he said.
"Ultimately, I may have been wrong, and maybe they would have landed on the same solution, but I felt there was value in that additional conversation happening."
St. John's Coun. Ian Froude. - SaltWire Network file photo
'A good, sensible, durable solution'
Ron Fougere, one of the owners of Fougere Menchenton Architecture Inc., says they looked at every option available to insulate that section of the building and this was the only way it would work long-term for the building.
Insulating it from the inside, he said, would cause issues with condensation and would be risky. The plans for the renovations, both inside and out, have been in the works for years, Fougere said, and maintaining the heritage of the building is at the top of his list.
"I fully support heritage designations to protect our historic places and they do a great job in doing that, but in our opinion, this addition to the building should have never been a part of the designation," he said.
"By doing this with a good, sensible, durable solution, it will allow us to make the whole complex work."
"... this addition to the building should have never been a part of the designation."
— Ron Fougere
Fougere, who has a background in heritage architecture, said the siding will be the same colour as the building and will look like a flat surface from a distance of 30 feet or more. That means it won't be visible from many of the nearby streets and if it is, it would be at a distance, he said.
A lot of work has gone into preserving the heritage architecture on this project, he added, and the reality is that sustainability has to be a consideration.
"Structures just aren't built the same way as in the past, and sometimes, things need to be modernized. That's a reality," he said.
"Buildings have to suit a new life, but the trick is finding the balance, preserving the heritage aspects that must be preserved, and that's a judgment call, based on what the new life, the adaptive reuse of the project, is going to be."
Finding that balance was brought up in the COTW meeting by both Mayor Danny Breen and Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O'Leary, with O'Leary saying she wasn't very comfortable with the idea of the siding but understood it was necessary for the long-term viability of the building and its future use as affordable housing.
More research and intensive discussion will need to happen on the issue, she said, which she expects will come up again in the future as heritage structures in the city age.
Convent conversion: Placentia trying to save town's oldest and only stone building
Updated May. 22, 2021 |6 min read
Presentation Sisters gift brings project a step closer
Presentation Sisters donate convent to city for seniors' affordable housing
Presentation sisters celebrate special anniversary tonight
Updated just now |2 min read
Police investigating arson of vehicle parked off TCH near Stephenville
Seven Pictou County community hubs receive funding to serve as emergency centres