City of Stratford considering future of Normal School property

A ‘for sale’ sign could go up at the former Stratford Normal School. CTV’s Jeff Pickel tells us why.

The City of Stratford is considering selling a unique heritage building.

The former Stratford Normal School was built in the 1900’s.

“The Government of Ontario Built a couple of these colleges across the province, referred to as the Normal School, but what we would now know as a teacher’s college,” said Adam Betteridge, director of planning services at the City of Stratford.

The city purchased the building from Ontario Government in the 1990’s but never used it for municipal services.

For the last several years the building has been leased by it’s neghbour, The Stratford Festival, that use the space for a gift shop, rehearsal space and other functions.

The building is protected by a heritage designation and is the last remaining Normal School that has not been drastically altered.

“It’s got an Italian Renaissance architecture to it that’s prominent with the columns, the symmetry … There’s a prominent copper dome on this structure,” said Betteridge.

According to Betteridge, the interior also contains several classic features, but the building needs considerable repair.

“There’s work needed to be done on the windows. There’s flooring inside the building that are reaching its end of life, there is an HVAC systems and there’s an elevator inside there,” said Betteridge.

The city is currently getting an appraisal and trying to determine the cost of repairs.

Stratford Mayor Martin Ritsma said that will help council understand how to move forward.

“If we see a situation where we’re not using it for municipal activities and yet we continue to invest, and perhaps the dollars that are coming from rent doesn’t offset enough to make it a good investment … What are the dividends? Is it costing us more than what it’s generating?” said Mayor Ritsma.

The Stratford Festival has expressed interest in assuming ownership of the building and completing the necessary repairs but are still finalizing a business plan.

If the property is declared surplus by the city and put up for sale, the property is currently zoned as “park space” and would require a formal zone change to be used for commercial or residential use.

The topic may return to city council on Feb. 24.