ST. JEROME CENTRE

Kitchener, ON

COMMUNITY ARTS CENTRE FEASIBILITY STUDY

Janis Barlow directed this feasibility study in 1996 to determine the market and needs of the City of Kitchener for a small community performing arts space.

The focus of the study was a 300-seat Edwardian concert hall in the former St. Jerome's College School. Where the clients had been limiting their considerations to the concert hall, Ms. Barlow demonstrated that a critical massing of theatre and other arts activity in the building and on the site would make the project viable. For example, converting a gymnasium on the second floor to multi-purpose space was much more interesting to the local professional theatre company than the concert hall. They joined the project and offered to manage the building.

Janis Barlow and Mandel Sprachman Architect developed three options for the adaptive reuse of the historic property. It was determined that the highest and best reuse of the site was a mixed use, private-public partnership between theatres, offices, restaurants and retails stores. Unfortunately, the client group was not able to acquire the property before the owners sold the buildings to private developers.

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