As we have learned in the past, preliminary drawings of proposed developments can be deceptive. Therefore, we shall employ caution before assessing the latest plans for the Providence Academy site in downtown Vancouver.
The Historic Trust, a nonprofit that purchased the Academy campus in 2015, has unveiled plans for Phase II of development on the site. In conjunction with Marathon Acquisition & Development of Wilsonville, Ore., the Trust is mapping out a total of four mixed-use residential buildings on a site that has been a city landmark since the 1870s.
When Phase I was announced in 2018, we were quick to jump to conclusions. Planners, The Columbian wrote editorially at the time, “would be wise to pay more attention to preserving the historic nature of the site. … Creating the Vancouver of the future should provide a connection with the Vancouver of the present and the past, both in function and design.”
After meeting with members of The Historic Trust and getting a closer look at the plans, we decided, “We are happy to throw our support behind the project. Fueling that change of heart are a couple of factors we believe most local residents can agree upon: Providence Academy, built in the 1870s by Mother Joseph, is an essential piece of Vancouver’s past and should be a centerpiece for its future; restoring and preserving the facility is a worthwhile endeavor; vast renovations to the building will not come cheap; and any development on the site should fit in with the zeitgeist of the Academy rather than distract from it.”
Those factors remain essential as we take an initial look at plans for Phase II, which will include two apartment buildings and a parking garage. But we remain cautious about rushing to judgment.
At the heart of the issue is a need for The Historic Trust to raise money for repairs and renovations at Providence Academy. While we join with many amateur architecture critics in wishing the site could remain as it was when Mother Joseph roamed the grounds, with the main structure surrounded by bucolic lawns and fauna, it is necessary to recognize the reality of the situation. Failing to develop the surrounding area would leave the Trust strapped for cash, allow needed repairs to go undone and eventually lead to the demise of the structure.
“The financial risk being undertaken by a relatively modest nonprofit is extraordinary,” board member Paul Speer told The Columbian’s Editorial Board last year. That risk is calculated to provide revenue for investment in the future of the Academy, rather than cling to a quickly fading past.
While critics should be able to understand the need for such investment, there also is room for debate over the plans and their designs. The public is invited to an open house to view the plans and provide comment from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 16 in Providence Hall at the Academy. Concept drawings also can be viewed online at the Trust’s website.
For nearly 150 years, what is now known as Providence Academy has been an education and cultural center in Vancouver. It served as a school for decades; in recent years, it has housed a variety of small businesses and has been a popular site for weddings and other community gatherings.
To maintain that prominence, the building is in need of some work. Actually, a lot of work, ranging from a facelift to major surgery. We are confident that members of The Historic Trust will be able to carry that out while preserving the basic appearance of the Academy.
