Stage Door News
Stratford: The Stratford Festival proposes buying the Stratford Normal School for $1.00
Friday, January 17, 2025
A public meeting about the proposed sale of the city-owned Discovery Centre at 270 Water St. garnered a large response – and a wide array of opinions – on what should happen to the 117-year-old building.
The city, which has owned the former Normal School building since 2001 and has been leasing it to the Stratford Festival since 2009, is now in the process of declaring most of the property surplus to allow for a future sale. Currently, the Festival uses the building for a variety of purposes, including offices, rehearsals and a sewing space for its wardrobe department, as well as a main-floor gift shop.
The Festival’s artistic director, Antoni Cimolino, began the public meeting by making his case for the city selling the property to the Festival for a grand total of $1. Cimolino noted the Festival has contributed a significant amount of money to the upkeep of the landmark building over the years.
“Should this building be declared surplus to the city’s needs, it is vitally important that it go to a good citizen, one that will ensure the building is well cared for and used – and used responsibly – within the neighbourhood and the parkland parameters,” Cimolino said
“The Festival has proven to be a good citizen, with a track record of keeping our facilities in good order and a commitment to enriching our community, but it’s also a precious citizen, one that has been a driver of the local economy for three-quarters of a century, and one that deserves the city’s advocacy.”
During his remarks, Cimolino said the Festival would “be announcing a considerable deficit for the 2024 season.”
“Selling it to the festival for $1 … would be an important show of support for the Festival at a very difficult time, and would also acknowledge the major financial contributions we’ve already made to the Normal School, as well as the considerable sum that will go into maintaining this historical building going forward,” said the artistic director, adding the building’s current condition and the ongoing costs for maintaining a heritage property meant the Festival could not afford a higher price.
Although Cimolino’s presentation received a round of applause, others at the meeting suggested other uses for the former teachers’ college. Jane Marie Mitchell, an often outspoken local resident, suggested the building could be used for a community space, while local housing advocate Jason Davies suggested that at least one of the floors could be used for a childcare space. Davies also suggested the city may have a need for the building in the future, even if there’s no explicit need at the moment.
“When the municipality runs its own childcare facilities, the people that work there can actually afford to live and work here and not leave the trade, and it helps us keep these programs open,” he said.
Others expressed concern about what would happen to the historic building once a new buyer takes ownership, with one resident pointing to its stained glass window.
That resident suggested a provision in an sales agreement that would ensure these windows are preserved.
“It’s a heritage (site) that means a lot to the community of Stratford and Perth County, and those teachers that paid for it in both monetary funds and in their lives during service,” the resident said.
Council is expected to vote on declaring the building surplus at an upcoming meeting.
by Bill Atwood for www.stratfordbeaconherald.com.
Photo: Stratford Normal School. © 2011 Wayne Adam.