Jesara Sinclair | CBC News | Posted: June 28, 2018 8:00 PM | Last Updated: June 28, 2018
Goal is for restoration to be completed December 2021
Image | Province House
Caption: Officials hope to have the restoration project complete by December 2021. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Work has now begun on the walls that hold up P.E.I.'s Province House — as phase two of a major restoration project on the 171-year-old building gets underway.
Greg Shaw, project manager with Parks Canada, said the hope is the restoration project, which began in January 2015, will be complete by December 2021.
Image | Province House
Caption: Province House has been closed to the public for construction since 2015, but members of the media were allowed inside for a tour Thursday as phase two of the restoration begins. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
"It really sounds strange, but 2022, we kind of hope that it looks very much the way it did before we started this work," he said.
"That's a really tough thing to say when you spend a significant amount of funds on a building. But that's part of the conservation approach. We want to maintain those heritage, character-defining elements so that when people come through that it looks very much the way it did when we moved out."
Image | Province House
Caption: The outside stone on these walls came from Pictou, N.S., while the inside is sandstone from P.E.I. The work is currently being restored. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
The federal government just announced another $14.1 million toward the project, bringing the total estimated cost for phases one and two to $61 million.
Caption: Province House was built in 1847. Heritage elements have been protected with plywood and bubble wrap during construction. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Image | Province House
Caption: In addition to the restoration, upgrades for accessibility are also part of the restoration says Greg Shaw, project manager for Parks Canada. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Image | Province House
Caption: The current estimated cost for phases one and two of the restoration is $61 million. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Image | Province House
Caption: Tim Chandler, project manager with Public Services and Procurement Canada, stands in front of the walls being restored on the top level. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Image | Province House
Caption: A view of the legislative chamber as it undergoes restoration. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Image | Province House
Caption: Phase two of the project includes restoration of exterior and structural walls, as well as the floor and roof. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Image | Greg Shaw Province House
Caption: Greg Shaw, project manager Parks Canada, says the hope is for the building to look much like it used to when the project is complete. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Image | Province House
Caption: The exoskeleton, which was built as part of phase one, will offer support for phase two — which includes replacing the roof. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Image | Province House
Caption: Tim Chandler shows one of the slate tiles that will be used for the new roof. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)
Image | Province House construction
Caption: Phase one was building a steel exoskeleton around Province House, which will now help with phase two. (Jesara Sinclair/CBC)