In addition to her regular Easter week preparations, Bowlby has been shifting boxes, testing a sound system, navigating construction materials and trying to contain her excitement amid the smell of paint and Murphy’s Oil Soap.
During a week known for being sombre, Bowlby is buoyed by the fact she gets to welcome the Cochrane Street United Church congregation — and soon, 10 members of the community needing housing and supports — to their new home.
“I’ve learned more about construction than I ever needed to know,” Bowlby jokes.
Two years ago, the church congregation began discussions with the public about ways of repurposing the building, after it had become financially unfeasible to keep afloat due to an aging structure and a dwindling membership. Money brought in was quickly being burned by the furnace, with yearly heating bills reaching $70,000 for a building that was largely unoccupied.
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It was a tricky situation: after the original church had burned down in 1914, the current structure was brought in from the mainland pre-built, having been destined for the Mediterranean before the First World War. It was designed with its own air-conditioning system, perfect for a much warmer climate, but not at all ideal for St. John’s.
It’s not like the congregation could simply shut the heat off during the week, either: the church’s renowned Casavant pipe organ, the largest of its kind in Atlantic Canada, with 3,315 pipes, requires a constant temperature of no less than 12 C to prevent deterioration.
Cochrane Street United’s 225 or so members eventually came up with a plan that would solve their cash-flow issues and keep the building, while enhancing the church’s reputation as a valuable performance space and providing a community outreach project. They voted in favour of establishing a not-for-profit organization and handing the building over to it to be renovated to include community meeting rooms, a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen and 10 affordable housing units to be occupied by community members on limited incomes and needing supports.
The last regular church service in the building was held on Christmas Eve 2015 and the congregation moved out to allow for the renovations (though it returned amongst plaster and plastic tarps for its 100th anniversary service last year).
Other local churches from different denominations stepped up to help: Sunday services were held at the Seventh Day Adventist church, while Gower Street United printed Cochrane’s bulletins. St. Thomas’ Anglican and St. James’ United churches provided office space.
Sunday’s Easter service will mark the return of Cochrane Street United members to their new home in Cochrane Centre. They’ll notice massive changes outside the main sanctuary: the gymnasium is no more, but there are new meeting rooms, a lounge and open space.
The kitchen is shiny and modern, designed with the help of The Reluctant Chef owner Tony Butt and available for public rentals and cooking classes.
Stairways have been removed and ceilings in certain areas have been lowered to make room for the housing units upstairs. The sanctuary is still warmed by furnace, while the rest of the building uses electric heat.
The one-room units will be furnished and are bright and modern, with the exception of the bathroom doors; they’re the old Sunday school classroom doors, adding a touch of history. One of the units is wheelchair accessible, and each of them has a view.
“I just keep thinking of a tenant looking out over the view of the city and thinking they’ve got a new lease on life,” Bowlby said, adding the church women’s group has made a quilt for each unit and the Sunday school will provide a startup gift of essential kitchen supplies.
Cochrane Centre is hiring a director, after which the selection of tenants will begin. While the project is bittersweet — the church technically no longer owns the building, but there’s an agreement between it and Cochrane Centre for how they function together — Bowlby says the building would have been closed altogether.
“Now that our congregation isn’t responsible for the building, I feel there is a new energy rising,” she said. “I’m amazed at the courage they have shown in the last two years. It’s a big change, giving up control of the building, but I think the church sees it as outreach work. In a sense it’s a loss, but I really believe it’s a continuation of what we’re about.”
The next stages of the renovation will soon begin, including the enhancement of the sanctuary and the restoration of the exterior of the building.
Twitter: @tara_bradbury
