It was 98 years to the day from when King George V laid the corner stone of the St. John's building that bears his name, and at the opening of the condominium project on Water Street, everyone was very aware of it.
Years since the project was first conceived, Lt.-Gov. John Crosbie and St. John's Mayor Dennis O'Keefe congratulated developers Rex Anthony, Guido Del Rizzo and Leo Power for restoring the historic building to prominence.
"It's been a labour of love, but we're very happy it's coming to an end," Power said. "We were in love with this building and the historic value."
Originally built as a hospice for seamen by Sir Wilfred Grenfell, the building is now filled with luxury condominiums.
Two years short of a century ago, as part of his coronation, King George V laid the cornerstone on his coronation day "through the agency of an electric current from Buckingham Palace," according to a news release.
In the 1930s, it contained offices for the pre-confederation Newfound-land government, during the Second World War it housed American soldiers; at various times it also had post-Confederation government offices and offices for the country of Portugal, when Portuguese ships of the white fleet were commonplace in St. John's harbour.
"If you were to track the history of Newfoundland and Labrador in the 20th century, then you would actually be tracking the history of this building," O'Keefe said. "You just connect the dots, you know?"
O'Keefe was upbeat about the city's future, with the developers making it "greater than it was when it was opened here nearly a hundred years ago."
But when they took possession of the building, it was in a sorry state.
"The building had been derelict for almost a decade, so when we took possession, there was a huge amount of damage in the interior of the building," Power said. "We were fortunate that we could restore virtually 100 per cent of the exterior facade, and all the original brick work of course remains intact."
jmcleod@thetelegram.com
King George condos celebrate opening
Lt.-Gov. John Crosbie gestures toward a newly unveiled reproduction of a portrait of King George V in the lobby of the building named after the deceased monarch on Water Street Monday. The former hospice has been converted to condominiums.- Photo by Keith
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Published on
June 23, 2009
- Published on June 30, 2010
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James McLeod
Development
It was 98 years to the day from when King George V laid the corner stone of the St. John's building that bears his name, and at the opening of the condominium project on Water Street, everyone was very aware of it.
Years since the project was first conceived, Lt.-Gov. John Crosbie and St. John's Mayor Dennis O'Keefe congratulated developers Rex Anthony, Guido Del Rizzo and Leo Power for restoring the historic building to prominence.
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Comments
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- Smart
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:05:16
With the cheapest condo going for $450K, I would agree with you Daniel!
$20 bucks says Cowan Heights will now develop a condo complex named after King Kong to keep up with the wealthy elite. -
- Tommy
- - July 2, 2010 at 15:01:18
Congrats to Guido Del Rizzo and partners on a project I know that have been working hard on for a long time.
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- Daniel
- - July 2, 2010 at 14:42:03
I guess Atlantic Lotto will have to change their ads that say a million dollars goes a lot further in Atlantic Canada.
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- Smart
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:55:13
With the cheapest condo going for $450K, I would agree with you Daniel!
$20 bucks says Cowan Heights will now develop a condo complex named after King Kong to keep up with the wealthy elite. -
- Tommy
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:49:44
Congrats to Guido Del Rizzo and partners on a project I know that have been working hard on for a long time.
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- Daniel
- - July 1, 2010 at 21:19:02
I guess Atlantic Lotto will have to change their ads that say a million dollars goes a lot further in Atlantic Canada.
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