Work to restore a historic church in the downtown core will soon enter the next phase. A feasibility study was launched last year to look at the possibility of restoring Holy Trinity Anglican Church and what work would be needed to do so. At the time, it was estimated the repairs would cost around $7.2 million. The feasibility study has now concluded and found it would cost roughly $7.75 million to do the repairs, with around $4.25 million going toward just foundation alone. Despite the cost, the report also notes the building — constructed between 1883 and 1884 — is worth saving. “While it identified significant conservation needs, it also confirmed what we have long believed, that Holy Trinity is a place worth preserving, evolving and investing in,” said Rev. Canon Donna Joy, the interim incumbent of the church. Before the work gets started, those in charge of the renovations want to hear from the community and stakeholders about the best way to move forward and what they envision the church’s future in the community. “We have to ensure any potential stakeholders, developers, who want to work with us, understand not just the scope of work, but the order in which it takes place, and should you be building, developing the parking lot, could that change how you address the foundation? It could, so we do want to make sure by the spring we know who we’re going to be working with,” said Stephen Borys, the building project manager for the church. With combined contributions from CentreVenture, Anglican Foundation of Canada, Winnipeg Foundation, Diocese of Ruperts Land and the Parish of Holy Trinity Church, $90,000 will go toward consultations and conceptual plans. When it comes to securing funding to cover the $7.75 million project, Borys said it all depends on what the future of the building entails. However, he notes the goal is to have at least three scenarios to discuss by next spring. There are a number of options of what the future could look like for the building, Borys said, ranging from selling the building and leasing it back to the parish to converting the parking lot into housing – something similar to what was done at All Saints Church in West Broadway. “If I had to choose what the future of this site looks like, the building would remain, there’s no question. How the interior of worship exists today, it may change. On the parking lot, we have a lot of surface parking lots. I could see easily a multi-story residence.” Borys is hoping for renovations of the building and surrounding area to get started as early as the end of 2029. The church is a designated National Historic Site of Canada and a protected historical building in Winnipeg.
