Projects

Christ Church Cathedral

Winner of the 2023 Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals Award of Excellence in Conservation Documentation and Planning.

In 1845, the first bishop of the newly created Fredericton diocese arrived in New Brunswick and changed the ecclesiastical landscape. John Medley was an evangelist for the emerging Gothic Revival architectural style which is rooted in the idea that God can be experienced through the richness and symbolism of church buildings. His passion and determination resulted in the complete restyling of New Brunswick Anglican architecture from Georgian to Gothic Revival and directly influenced other ecclesiastical architecture in the region. Christ Church Cathedral is considered to be his paramount achievement.

The specific goal of this project was to create a conservation-focused master plan that would provide a common point of understanding for the Cathedral’s multiple levels of stakeholders. The general goal was to enable the Cathedral, at a time of transition, to continue its historic role as a social, cultural, and religious centre in Fredericton.

Instead of addressing the Cathedral’s urgent problems in isolation, Heritage Standing Inc. created a holistic picture of the current state of the building and grounds by analyzing all building systems, conditions, and issues. This provided an understanding of the interrelated ways that potential work could affect:

• The structural soundness of the building
• The experience of the site’s users
• The site’s heritage value and individual Character-defining Elements.

Although some interventions must be made to keep Christ Church Cathedral a vibrant part of the Fredericton community, keeping its heritage value intact is essential. By following The Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada, HSI was able to guide the Cathedral towards solutions that should enable it to prosper for many more years.