A century-plus outdated home of worship in Victoria might be getting a brand new lease on life, because the church that owns it seems to remodel the property.
The United Church congregation that referred to as the First Metropolitan church dwelling held its final service on the finish of 2023, earlier than merging with one other Victoria congregation at a brand new dwelling.
A number of different religion teams nonetheless maintain companies within the 1913 constructing on Sundays, however the remainder of the week it largely sits empty.
Now, the United Church has approached developer Aryze with the aim of reworking the property with the conduction of 130 models of rental housing, plus a brand new arts centre and a renovation of the 400-seat church itself — which might nonetheless additionally maintain Sunday companies.
“We thought, wow, we might do housing, we might have an arts centre, and we might nonetheless have worship companies in there,” mentioned Don Evans, director of property improvement for the United Church of Canada Pacific Mountain Area.
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“There’s fashions on the market exhibiting that it really works, and it’s a terrific use of that constructing as a result of then will probably be used all week lengthy.”‘
Chris Quigley, Aryze’s director of improvement, mentioned the thought is to combine the brand new facility into what’s already a blossoming arts district within the metropolis.
First Metropolitan sits on the intersection of Quadra Avenue and Balmoral Street.
The Pacific Opera’s Baumann Centre lies simply throughout the road, whereas Victoria’s Conservatory of Music — one other arts facility working in a transformed United Church — is 2 blocks away.
“The aim is to reimagine how the church performs a brand new position locally, so actually leaning into the cultural quarter that Quadra presently is and might be much more so sooner or later,” he mentioned.
“Meaning new arts applications, new cultural applications in addition to creating new housing and industrial alternatives.”
On prime of that, the proposal is to order a few of the rental models to function inexpensive housing particularly for folks working within the arts and tradition sector.
The proposal will nonetheless must undergo Victoria’s zoning course of, which Quigley estimated would take greater than a 12 months at minimal.
The Anglican Church of Canada submitted a proposal to rezone its Christ Church Cathedral property for housing two years in the past — a mission that has but to maneuver ahead.
Quigley mentioned Aryze will likely be holding a group occasion later this month to offer locals a greater take a look at the proposal.
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