Beach Drive Project Update December 2019

Coach House Heritage Preservation Update

Further to the November update regarding the Coach House, this post includes details about the process GNS has gone through to preserve the heritage of the buildings on our Beach Campus.

Heritage Consultation

GNS values the notable heritage of its Beach Campus buildings. When the school decided to pursue the revitalization of the campus for the next century, it was of critical importance that all buildings and features of heritage significance be conserved and reinforced wherever possible. To that end, the school retained heritage consultant Donald Luxton & Associates to create a conservation plan. The plan was completed in May 2015 and includes conservation guidelines and recommendations for all heritage assets on the campus. For the Coach House, the Luxton report outlined a five-point conservation plan for GNS to follow.

Coach House Rehabilitation

As part of the GNS Beach Campus renewal, the Coach House has been deconstructed and various pieces of architectural importance have been carefully removed and saved for later reinstallation. This includes:

• brick masonry;
• historic windows;
• the west gable front of the garage;
• the highly decorative carved corbles; and
• all of the fascias, crowns and other woodwork that was historically important.

These items will be incorporated into the new building that is being relocated to allow for a safe underground parkade access and to preserve a significant Garry oak tree. When the project is complete, the rehabilitated Coach House will be brought up to BC building code requirements and seismic standards to create a safe, usable space that also serves to retain the above-mentioned heritage features well into the future. When occupied, the Coach House will become the school’s new Music Centre. All this work was performed under the guidance of GNS’ heritage consultant Luxton & Associates, following the approved Heritage Alteration Permit and Parks Canada’s Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places.