Church renos to complete vision for community hub

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This article was published 24/06/2020 (2025 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ALTHOUGH still closed to worshippers because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the doors to Augustine United Church will be flung open for a $6.5-million renovation project.

The new construction is to reconfigure the heritage limestone structure at the corner of River Avenue and Pulford Street in Osborne Village into permanent homes for a drop-in community program and a 92-space, licensed child-care centre.

The existing grand worship space, featuring tall, stained-glass windows, a horseshoe balcony, and curved auditorium-style seating will be transformed into a 500-seat multi-use performing arts centre and also continue as the home for the congregation of about 90.

“The motto of the centre is to become a hub for the arts, education, faith and justice,” said Jeff Carter, chairman of Augustine Centre board.

Augustine Centre is a non-profit organization consisting of Augustine United Church, Oak Table and Splash Early Learning Centre. The centre will run the building and manage the tenants.

The first phase of construction, expected to be completed by late fall, involves renovating the 6,000-square-foot church basement to house Oak Table, a drop-in program which provides lunch and social services to about 150 clients on weekdays, as well as Just a Warm Sleep, an overnight shelter run during the winter by 1Just City.

During shutdowns caused by COVID-19, Oak Table has operated as an essential service, operating four days a week from 12:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., said Oak Table executive director Glynis Quinn.

Its new space will include a large kitchen, dining room seating for 100, commercial laundry facilities for clients, and room for art programs and health care. It also features a universal washroom near its street-level entrance on Pulford Avenue for easy access by people who are homeless, said Quinn.

Called a dignity washroom “because everyone should have a dignified place to pee,” she said, users can make a quick stop to use the facilities without walking through the entire space.

“We want to have a bathroom people can come and use and not go through a rigmarole,” said Quinn, adding users can safely stow their backpacks in a locker just outside the washroom door.

Renovations will also start soon to accommodate the Splash Early Learning Centre, which will move into about 8,200 square feet on the first and second levels of the renovated church hall by December, creating at least 24 jobs and providing care for 28 infants and 64 preschoolers, said executive director Lesley Massey.

“We’re so passionate about this (new centre) and we’re excited to get into there,” she said about the third location for the non-profit organization.

She said the space has seven learning rooms, decorated to reflect the Seven Sacred Teachings of the Anishinaabe.

Some of the millwork and doors from the 1909-era hall will be incorporated into the new spaces for Oak Table and Splash, says architect Gail Little of Pico Architecture Inc.

“What we’ve tried to do is take some historical elements of the building and work it in,” she said of the oak doors and existing fireplace in the high-ceilinged hall.

Little says the extensive renovations include the installation of two lifts to provide access to the multiple levels of the church and hall, and additional support posts to bear the weight of an expanded stage for music and dance groups.

Carter said the second stage of the project will address the damaged ceiling plaster, and other interior elements of the 1904 Gothic Revival church designed by Winnipeg architect J.H.G. Russell, also the architect of Knox and Westminster United Churches.The two Pulford Street entrances will be re-designed in the first phase to provide green space and public gathering areas, and the River Avenue entrance will be updated in the final phase.

In addition to the extensive interior renovations, the exterior of the 116-year-old limestone church will also be refreshed thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, said Carter.

The church turrets will be painted this summer and the prominent spire-topped tower at the northeast corner of the church will be refurbished next year. That slender tower rises more than 50 metres from street level, making the church a visible landmark in Osborne Village.

After years of planning, writing grants and raising funds, Carter and his team of volunteers know they are close to realizing their goal of making the building useful and accessible to the neighbourhood again.

“The great dream is to repurpose this building in service to the city,” he said.

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