St Marys School Conversion - A Happy Centenary

Photo by Mike Ebert

This year marks the 100th anniversary of one of the most beautiful buildings in St Marys. You may remember Central School Manor from a previous post as one of three award recipients of the Heritage St Marys Award. On the evening of April 24th, Brian and I attended a seminar on the Manor, hosted by owners, designers and developers Mike Ebert and Ray Doerksen and the St Marys Museum. This impressive Classical Revival style building (also referred to as Romanesque style) is in the process of being converted into luxury condominiums. 
Follow me on this tour.

Built from local limestone, what comes to my mind as I'm approaching the entrance is 

FORTRESS and CASTLE.
Here is a link to the building's history.

Original school doors

Ray Doerksen (seen near the doors) was our guide. The stairwells were kept wide and bright, as originally intended when loads of kids were going from floor to floor. Architectural details such as huge moldings and base boards were added, giving the space weight, substance and old world charm. Sections of wall were deliberately left uncovered so as to display the massive concrete brickwork (seen above left). 

  During renovations, the original oak wood hand rails were removed for protection, but have now returned and are ready to be varnished. An elevator is being installed in the other entrance.

We were then shown the model suite. My photographic skills do not do it  justice - please go to the Manor's website for a detailed view of the suite's luxurious and elegant amenities. 

Of course, luxury is also synonymous with outdoor living. A nice portion of the land has been allocated to a communal garden. Once everything is planted, fully grown and in bloom, vines and all, one can easily imagine how lovely it would be to spend time out here.  

From the garden, we can see where used to be the school's library. The semi-circular structure will be part of a feature suite - named the Library Suite, of course. You can view the Manor's floor plans to see other options. My favourite is the Geography Suite. (Mama likes a terrace.)

Back inside, Ray took the time to show us unique structural components that can only be found in century old building techniques. The support beams of this room, for example, could support six elephants.

Thirteen foot ceilings, 3-foot thick stone walls, and rows of concrete brick walls separating each suite provide sound proofing old school style - literally. 

Walking through Central School Manor, one truly gets the feeling this building will still be standing seven hundred years from now. Why? Because medieval castles are still standing today. To me, this is the real meaning of luxury. Of course, I appreciate high-end appliances, fixtures and furnishings, but all this is meaningless if they are housed in cheaply made homes that fall apart soon after they are built. There are only fifteen units planned for the entire building. Mike Ebert and Ray Doerksen are truly enlightened developers
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Central School Manor - Luxury Condominium is highly deserving of the Heritage St Marys Award.

photo from CSM website

And if location is everything in real estate… well, St Marys is a pretty amazing town, if you ask me.

Click on the CSM video to get a virtual tour.

Blessed Beaded Easter

I found this porcelain egg cup in an antique store near Ottawa. It has no markings, but I think those two bunnies are adorable. Imagine, they have to work in tandem to support the weight and keep the cup balanced, all while being back to back. The lovely beaded egg was made by Astrid when she was seven or eight years old. She made the ones below as well. Rare are the crafts I ended up keeping (parents will know what I mean), but these were all keepers.

Instructions: Empty the egg by piercing the shell at both ends. Blow the content out. Brush some glue on the egg in small sections, then dip it in a bowl of beads. Leave section to dry, then proceeded to do another section until the egg is covered. There is less waiting having several eggs going at the same time. Very easy to make and the results are lovely, which is kind of rare for kids crafts.

Happy Easter!