Laura Secord sold to Niagara Falls developer who promises to respect heritage property

Laura Secord Memorial School in Queenston has been sold.

The Willowbank School of Restoration Arts has sold it to Canadian Niagara Heritage Inc. of Niagara Falls, owned by the Shahani family, for $2,275,000.

“We thank everyone involved for their patience over the past few months,” said Willowbank chair Patrick Little. 

In a Willowbank news release, a spokesperson for Canadian Heritage Niagara said “we are pleased to have acquired this property, and have agreed to permit the school to run certain classes at the site until the end of the year.”

Willowbank will use a portion of the funds to discharge a mortgage and invest the balance to support school operations into the future, says Willowbank vice-chair John Scott.

Willowbank purchased the building in 2012 through a partnership with the town, planning on using it to expand restoration arts classes. It was put up for sale in February, the board having decided there was no need for it in the future of Willowbank.

“The certainty of annual contributions from the investment will be a welcome supplement to the resources needed to provide our students with the best learning experience possible in restoration arts,” said Scott.

The offer from Canadian Niagara Heritage wasn’t the only one, he says, but it was the one they considered the best fit for the village. “It seemed this particular group would work well in the neighbourhood.”

When Jim Armstrong, president of the Queenston Residents Association, learned the school would be sold, he said villagers support Willowbank and its survival into the future, and he wouldn’t expect the QRA to block development, although he hoped there wouldn’t be a repeat of the situation with the Parliament Oak residential development proposal.

Now that it’s sold, he says there will be great interest in the new owners and their plans, and he hopes they recognize “this isn’t a town or a city, it’s a village. And some of the people who moved here did so to get away from an urban environment.”

He’s especially concerned with the impact any development would have on residents adjacent to the school property.

“We’ll have to be vigilant, and optimistic that the owner will do something that respects the village.”

“We are excited about the purchase,” Navin Shahani of Canadian Niagara Heritage told The Local. “There are no plans as of yet, however we look forward to working with the town and the community in the near future for an adaptive reuse of the property that is complimentary to the village.”

“Please take comfort in knowing that we value the area and its cultural heritage significance,” he added. “With any potential plans for the future, we shall take into consideration the nature of the area around the site, as well as the impact it may have.”

In the meantime, Sharon Okun and Adam Markovic, well-established visual artists with studios in the school building, may have a few more months in their space — they haven’t spoken to the new owner or been given a timeline — but are scoping out their next venue. “We have fallen in love with the region and have made so many new friends, so we want to stay close,” said Okun in a recent email blast. They are looking for open-concept space, maybe a barn, to use as an art studio and woodworking space, preferably with some natural light, and would consider renting or purchasing. “Adam is skilled in renovation work and would be willing to discuss the possibility of property enhancement in exchange for a long-term lease in a beautiful place.”

If anyone knows of property that might be suitable, email [email protected].