Assumption Church announces plans for major renovations
By Michal Tellos
News Editor
September 16, 2009
A big piece of local history will soon be getting an even bigger make over.
A new partnership between the City of Windsor, the University of Windsor, and Assumption Church, announced on Sunday, Sept. 14, will hopefully change the way the church looks and make it more sustainable in the future.
The Assumption Heritage Trust Master Plan Concept, created by The MBTW Group Watchorn Architects Inc., will include a new interactive heritage centre, a new sacristy, ecologically friendly upgrades around the entire property, and several new public gardens, including one dedicated to mothers.
The initiative will attempt to balance sustainability with an environmentally friendly campus.
The project quickly gained political endorsement from local MPs Brian Masse and Jeff Watson, with Masse stating that Assumption Church “represents the history of Canada.”
The project will undoubtedly have an economic impact on Windsor as well, with jobs in the fields of architecture, engineering, construction, landscaping, and information technology expected to open up.
It is expected that 90 per cent of the budget costs will go to labour.
Representatives of Assumption Church have stated that Windsor will benefit from the public gardens because it will become a place of recognition which can host events and individuals within an elaborate landscape.
The planned heritage centre would provide a place for Windsor residents and tourists to understand Assumption’s history through the use of technological education.
Assumption Parish was formally established in 1767, and it was the first in Canada west of Montreal.
A hand-carved wooden pulpit was carved by a French-Canadian artist in 1793, with the altar itself being imported from France nearly 100 years later.
Stained glass windows were acquired from 1874 to 1920.
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