St. Catharines Downtown Association

Brock University has begun the slow process of preparing the old Canada Hair Cloth building for its transformation into a school of fine and performing arts.

However, just because the university is now leasing the downtown St. Catharines building, don’t expect any dramatic changes immediately.

University staff have begun inspecting the building to assess its condition, and Brock security is policing the building, said Rosemary Hale, dean of humanities.

“We’ll be securing all of the windows and we have security monitoring the building,” she said.

The City of St. Catharines expropriated the St. Paul Street building from owner Jim Macfarlane on June 30, although the price the city will pay for it is still being worked out.

After the city took possession, it leased the building to the university, Hale said.

“This is a step in the process,” Hale said Thursday. “There is a long way to go yet.”

The school will be part of an arts complex, costing more than $100 million, that will also include a municipal performing arts centre.

Story reprinted from The St. Catharines Standard by Grant LaFleche.