2023
Interdepartmental – Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation; Transportation and Infrastructure
Scott Andrews, Blair A. Boland, Kerri Button, John P. Cheeseman, Greg Clarke, Ralph Clemens Jr., William G. Davis, Rob Jacobs, Lynda Keefe, Kim Kieley, Chris Martin, Robert Matthews, Jean McGrath, Leon Murphy, Gerry Osmond, Darrell Pynn, Lisa Reid, Laurie Roche-Lawrence, Natasha Smith, Colleen Soulliere, Katherine Suley, John Trahey, Derrick Walsh
The Colonial Building Provincial Historic Site reopened to the public in September 2022 as an immersive and interactive visitor experience. Visitors to the historic building have the privilege of enjoying guided tours, programming, exhibits, educational offerings, public dialogues and debates. The team’s success can be attributed to their collective efforts, their dedication to the preservation of history, and their affection for the project, in which they displayed true innovation, creativity and flexibility.
Before its doors were reopened, the 170 year-old building was the subject of a complex restoration project, involving a fully integrated and important long-term collaboration between the Departments of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation and Transportation and Infrastructure. This project would take years of research and planning and once the plans were decided, the work had just begun for this team.
From the commencement of work in 2009, the team demonstrated leadership and maintained a working environment where decisions met the delicate and complex balance of respecting heritage features and meeting modern construction code requirements. With each phase of this project came hours and days of work, over and above normal expectations. Many early mornings became late evenings as the team’s attention to detail was often challenged by COVID-19 delays, fiscal realities and the limitation of working within a building that was 170 years old. Along with partners including The Rooms, the House of Assembly, NL Public Libraries, Memorial University, Government House, the Office of Women and Gender Equality and Parks Canada, they employed innovative strategies and solutions combined with best practices to keep the project moving forward. One example was the introduction of a lift to provide full accessibility to an almost two century-old building. The team constructed the lift on the outside of the building, encased in matching stone and used existing windows to provide accessibility on all floors.
The team has been lauded for their exceptional dedication to the beautiful preservation of one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most significant historic sites, as well as their willingness to adapt and revise plans when faced with challenges. The team’s passion, perseverance and continued vision serves as an inspiration to their colleagues and community.