No stone left unturned

Sail cloth on Province House falls, signalling end of efforts on exterior of building

More than two dozen members of the public broke into cheers as part of the sail cloth covering the south side of Province House in Charlottetown fell on July 4.

It was the first time in four years that people have been able to get a glimpse of the outside of the national historic site.

The $91.8-million restoration project began in 2014 and would see the entire exterior of the building swathed in sail cloth and scaffolding in 2018 in order to protect and restore the stones, many of which had become brittle.

In total, 8,000 stones were inspected individually by masonry experts.

“I grew up in Stratford and I didn’t think I’d ever look as closely as I did to each stone as I have the past few years,’’ said Tim Chandler, senior project manager with Public Service and Public Procurement Canada. “We didn’t realize at the time (in 2014) just how extensive the work would be. This feels very exciting, and it has been a long time coming. This represents so much hard work. I am so very proud. We’re talking hundreds of people who have put in thousands of hours into conserving the building.’’

Charlottetown MP Sean Casey and Mi’kmaq elder Judy Clark were on hand to celebrate what was being called a milestone on July 4.

All of the sail cloth surrounding and protecting Province House will be coming down and is expected to be completely free of the building by the end of the week. The scaffolding around the structure will also be coming down, but that’s expected to happen over the coming months.

While restoration efforts on the outside of the building have all but finished, much work remains to be done on the interior.

The entire project is expected to wrap up in 2023.

Chandler said the biggest challenge was dealing with what weather had done to the Prince Edward Island sandstone over the 175-year lifespan of Province House.

“Water infiltration and time have caused many issues with the stone and the structural stability,’’ he said. “But, we now have a building that is going to last for many,

many years to come.’’

Nicolle Gallant, who has been managing the project on the Parks Canada side of things since 2019, said challenges also included losing some of the workforce during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conservator handling the 101 windows in the project went into insolvency halfway through the work, so a new firm had to be brought in and up to speed.

“But, we never had to shut down the site, which is a feat in itself,’’ said Gallant, adding that the project remained on budget the entire time. “When (the workers) came back we were able to bump up things and get back on track.’’

Gallant said her proudest moment came this past February when the masonry work was finished with the placement of the final stone.

“That was really monumental,’’ Gallant said. “It still gives me goosebumps. A lot of tourists keep asking when they’ll be able to see the building, even if they can’t get into it. To be able to provide that opportunity today is just wonderful.’’

Growing up in Emyvale, P.E.I., Gallant said she didn’t think she would help oversee such a big project in her lifetime.

“Never in a million years would I have ever thought this is what I would be doing when I grew up.’’

After the sail cloth fell on the south side on July 4, Casey underlined the importance of the restoration work in his comments to the media.

“This historical significance of Province House cannot be understated,’’ Casey said, emphasizing his words. “This is a national gem; it is a national jewel and it is 175 years old. There were parts of it that were severely deteriorating. It was in the province’s interest – and absolutely in the country’s interest – to preserve, to protect and to celebrate this historic site.’’

As for its importance to Charlottetown, Casey said Province House is important for tourists.

“It’s a huge deal in terms of tourism in the city and the whole visitor experience. The idea of Canada was hatched (here). This is the birthplace (of Confederation), right here.’’

Chandler said once the scaffolding is down and members of the public get a good look at the finished product, they’ll notice a couple of significant changes.

“It will look slightly different,’’ Chandler said. “The stone is a natural material which ages over time, so some of the stones have been exposed to the elements for the past 175 years whereas the new stones are just being exposed to the weather so it will take a number of years before things blend together The new stones have a different hue to them. The windows have been carefully conserved.’’

Chandler added that almost all of the windows were removed and restored and will give the building a fresh look.

The building also received a new roof, with two tractortrailer loads of slates being brought in to take care of the job. Each shingle weighs about five pounds.