Regina team transforming century-old chapel into mixed-use development
Alex Soloducha | CBC News | Posted: July 26, 2018 8:00 AM | Last Updated: July 26, 2018
Condos, offices and restaurant being built at former boarding school
A church that has stood in Regina for over a century is getting a much-needed makeover.
St. Chad's College and Chapel was built in 1914 and operated as a boarding school until the 1970s. The building has been vacant for decades.
Derek Wu and Trevor Anderson of Collaborative Construction have teamed up with longtime friends Lee Forsberg and Keenan George of Alair Homes in hopes of restoring the building it to its original beauty.
The team's plans for the project were approved by the city over the past year.
"This is one of the oldest buildings in Regina and when you have four young developers with a vision, you know, hopefully it's supported by the community because otherwise the building has five years left before it is unmanageable, just because of what's happened to it over the last seven years without heat and the heaving that's happening," said Forsberg.
"We've luckily had a lot of community support. Everyone has been on board."
The friends plan to transform the college to accommodate both office and residential spaces.
They want to turn the chapel, which features its original vaulted, dark wood ceilings, into a restaurant.
Due to its heritage status, the buildings' distinctive red brick exterior, windows, doors, and banisters will not be touched.
Forsberg said they planned to keep the historic, gothic elements intact anyway so that the feeling of the building remains.
"What drew us into it as a team was the fact that it was a building that has been left alone for so long, but yet such a beautiful space," he said. "As you enter into this Canterbury Community, you fall in love with it."
The team plans to start construction at the historic building in the fall.
The chapel will be renovated first, followed by the development of the commercial spaces and the residential units.
Forsberg said lease rates will be competitive, and he expects people to be drawn to the building due to both its character and location.
"It'll be very unique," he said.
The project is set for completion in the fall of 2021.