Aurora Cultural Centre

Located in the historic centre of the Town of Aurora, the former Church Street School (built 1885-86) is a two-storey yellow brick school building designed by architect Thomas Kennedy. The schoolhouse, one of the finest remaining examples of a High Victorian-designed public school in Ontario, is a dominant landmark structure in the community that contributes to Aurora’s period streetscape and the neighbourhood character.

As part of the team involved with the redevelopment of the site into a new Cultural Centre for the Town of Aurora, ERA was engaged to provide heritage consultant services for the retention of the old schoolhouse building. This included providing direction for light-touch restoration and conservation efforts of the existing structure. ERA worked in close collaboration with RAW design on the integration of the heritage structure with the new contemporary addition.

To conserve the importance of the schoolhouse building on the site, RAW’s addition to the heritage structure was carefully considered with respect to massing, articulation, roof height, and materiality. The expansive and light-filled interior glass atrium at the new addition allows visitors to appreciate the original craftsmanship and patina of the brick masonry façade and stone foundation.

The redevelopment of the Aurora Cultural Centre sought to conserve the cultural heritage value of the schoolhouse building while providing new space for community use and cultural production. The heritage building was lightly renovated to house visual art galleries in its old school classrooms. To support this function, gallery-quality lighting was installed, and interior spaces were refinished, including the restoration of the original balustrade at the central staircase.

While the restoration of the Church Street school conserves the cultural heritage value of the site, the contemporary addition provides a state-of-the-art location to support emerging cultural practices.