One of Windsor’s oldest manufacturing buildings is one step closer to revitalization.
The former International Playing Card property will soon be transformed into a new French Immersion school, and some of its historical features will remain in place.
The Greater Essex County District School Board bought the property with the intention of tearing down the building. But that was not possible after the city designated the 89-year-old building as a heritage site.
The city's Planning, Heritage and Economic Development Standing Committee approved the revamped plans from the board during a meeting on Tuesday night.
“It's going to be an extremely challenging project," says architect, Colin McDonald, but he says his team is up to the task.
If city council gives final approval, McDonald will transform this industrial building on Mercer Street into a fully functional French Immersion school, capable to holding at least 600 students, to replace the current Giles campus.
The Ministry of Education has already approved $15 million for the project that will keep some of the building's historical features.
"We want to bring in as much natural light as we can and really create a 24th century learning centre,” says McDonald.
The proposed project is not the original plan of the school board, but it’s an alternative Councillor Rino Bortolin supports.
"Instead of wiping it out and putting in a cookie cutter school that looks like every other school built in Ontario, it’s great to know they are going to work on the heritage aspects of this building to give what I consider a much better learning environment" says Bortolin.
The project will go before Windsor city council for final approval within the month.
If all goes well, the school board hopes the building will be ready for the 2019-2020 school year.
