Historic Province House opens its doors after 11 years of renovations

After an extensive 11-year restoration project, historic Province House opened its doors again to the public on Saturday, Oct. 24.

A large crowd turned out to watch the opening ceremonies, which included a parade featuring the College of Piping and a variety of speeches, before the public was welcomed in.

It took more than an hour to get the assembled crowd in the brand new doors.

Julie Pellissier-Lush, the knowledge keeper at L’nuey who took part in the opening ceremonies with the Mi’kmaq Heritage Actors, was among those who were impressed with the work done to the 1843 edifice.

“The woodwork, the craftmanship, the masonry, they even preserved a signature of one of the original architects on the ceiling,” Pellissier-Lush said.

“From the biggest parts to the more elaborate parts to the most minute details that allow us to be able to look into that window of the past and know that this was a big part of our history.”

Sue Hughson of Charlottetown said memories of school trips she took three decades ago came flooding back to her when she walked in. She also reflected on the changes she was seeing.

“I think this building is gorgeous … the changes are stunning,” Hughson said.

“The plaster work really caught my eye. I love the colours and the people who are giving the tours are really animated and excited to be here. The crowd is all ages, all stripes, all types of Islanders and everyone is pretty excited to be in their house.”

James Hughes, 9, said he was trying to wrap his mind around the fact the restoration work has been going on longer than he has been alive.

“I think that is insane,” Hughes said.

Friends Marlene Hunt, 76, and Nancy Murphy, 79, are regulars in the public gallery of the legislature. Both said it was not the same experience attending the assembly at the Coles Building next door.

“I’m excited,” Hunt said. “I love politics and I loved coming to this building to watch the legislature so I can’t wait to come back to (Province House) next month.”

“I think it’s great,” Murphy said of the legislature’s return home on Nov. 3. “I’ve also been thinking of when my daughter brought her kids to the (Christmas) tree lighting. Twelve years is a lot of time.”

Charlottetown MP Sean Casey said it quickly became evident when the building was closed in January 2015 that major renovations would be needed.

“Experts knew the building required significant conservation, yet as layers of the building were carefully peeled back the true scale and complexity of the work became clear,” Casey said in his remarks during the official opening ceremony.

“Hidden deterioration, aging materials and unforeseen challenges demanded exceptional skill, innovation and perseverance (to repair it).”

It took more than a decade of work and the contributions of more than 1,000 architects, engineers, conservators, masons, plasterers, trades people, project managers, researchers and crafts people to breathe new life into Province House.

Holland College’s heritage retrofit carpentry program joined the effort, leading to valuable experience for 90 students.

Rob Lantz will be the first premier to sit in the refurbished legislative assembly when MLAs return on Nov. 3. Former premier Robert Ghiz was in office when it was shut down.

“I’m just happy for Islanders,” Lantz said in an interview with The Guardian just before the opening ceremonies. “If you look around here, the property looks beautiful (and) the building looks beautiful.”

Lantz said people have been walking or driving by the site for the past almost 12 years, staring at a muddy job site with walls around the structure. He talked about how Islanders haven’t been able to visit “your house” and visitors could not catch a glimpse of a significant part of Canadian history.

“We’ve waited a long time for this. There are children here today who have never seen the doors open,” Lantz said. “This morning (with the Oct. 24 open house) that changes. There is no building like this one.”

Lantz said MLAs are eager to start in November, admitting that it will be “special this year”.

Charlottetown-Victoria Park MLA Karla Bernard said she was not expecting Saturday’s opening to be as emotional as it was.

“I don’t think I thought it was as big of a deal as it is to me,” Bernard told The Guardian, adding that she had a sneak peek inside Province House the night before during an invitation-only event. “It feels fresh now but it doesn’t necessarily look like a restored building if that makes any sense.”

Cornwall-Meadowbank MLA Tayte Willows called it a momentous occasion in Island history.

“It is very surreal to be looking back on 12 years of work that has gone into this building,” Willows said.

Emily Doiron, the deputy clerk of the legislature, said the renovations are nothing short of incredible.

“The work done on this building is astonishing,” Doiron said. “We are so impressed and it is exciting to be back in Province House, the home of P.E.I.’s democracy.”

Following are facts about Province House’s renovation:

• The total bill for the restoration work was $138 million.
• Perhaps the most dramatic change inside Province House, at least visually, was the basement. Prior to the conservation work, the basement of the historic building was a small damp space with low ceilings criss-crossed with pipes and wires and low doorways that required most people to duck their heads. The work involved deepening the basement by one metre, adding public washrooms and protecting the walls against humidity.
• Province House was built as the permanent home of P.E.I.’s legislative assembly, which first met in the legislative chamber in 1847.
• The last sitting day prior to the start of the restoration project was Nov. 27, 2014.

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Dave Stewart is a reporter for The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached at dstewart@postmedia.com and followed on X at @DveStewart.