In Our View: Academy Fixes Appropriate

We can’t help but think that Mother Joseph would be proud.

That, perhaps, is the highest praise that could be offered to renovation efforts at Providence Academy. The building, a central part of Vancouver since its construction in the 1870s, is undergoing fixes designed to maintain it as a sturdy landmark for decades to come. “It can last another hundred years,” said Mike True, president and CEO of the Fort Vancouver National Trust, which now owns the building. “And after the exterior is done, we’ll plan future renovations of the inside of this building and its public spaces.”

That would be a worthy tribute to Mother Joseph and her fellow Sisters of Providence, who built the structure as a school and orphanage. Tales about the Catholic nun’s drive are abundant in these parts. As The Columbian has written in the past, Mother Joseph was significant in turning what local historian Pat Jollota calls a “rough town full of soldiers and drunks” into a real city.

In addition to designing The Academy and laying some of the original bricks herself, she led efforts to construct the Northwest’s first nursing school, in Portland, and Seattle’s first hospital. As HistoryLink.org reports, “Clad in habit, with hammer and saw in hand, she personally supervised the construction, sometimes ripping out faulty workmanship and redoing it herself.”

It is understandable that Mother Joseph is one of two Washington figures represented in National Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol, and it is understandable that the physical manifestation of her impact upon Vancouver is still standing near the heart of the city.

A recent story in The Columbian detailed renovation efforts that have been started on the exterior of the building. The Fort Vancouver National Trust acquired The Academy in February 2015 from the Hidden family, which had been the structure’s second owners after purchasing it from the Sisters of Providence in the 1960s. The trust received a $1 million appropriation from the Legislature and secured private donations to fund renovations. True said: “The state recognized the historical importance of the building. It’s definitely a spot the state of Washington recognizes as important.”

It would be difficult to overstate that importance, and preservation efforts — including significant seismic upgrades — speak to the value of preserving the past while also preparing for the future. As the National Trust for Historic Preservation writes: “Simply put, ‘historic’ means ‘old and worth the trouble.’ It applies to a building that’s part of a community’s tangible past. And though it may surprise cynics, old buildings can offer opportunities for a community’s future.”

A 2015 article about the value of preserving buildings states: “By seeing historic buildings … tourists and longtime residents are able to witness the aesthetic and cultural history of an area. … A city needs old buildings to maintain a sense of permanency and heritage.” That can have a positive impact both economically and culturally for a city, and a renovated Academy building will combine with the pending Vancouver Waterfront development to highlight the area’s rich history and glowing future.

Officials estimate that complete renovation of The Academy will cost $8 million to $10 million, and that the project will require years of intensive work. The timing could not be better, with the structure scheduled to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2023 — a milestone that would make Mother Joseph proud.