By Mark Squibb
November 10, 2023 Edition
Some residents in Ferryland have recently formed a steering committee to help with the possible repurposing of the Ferryland Courthouse.
The committee, formed this October, is made up of of councillors, local history buffs, and other folks from the community.
“We’ve got a great committee,” said Ferryland Mayor Aidan Costello, who is temporarily acting as committee chair. “We’ve only had one meeting so far, but we’ve set an agenda for ourselves moving forward. We need to get some engineering work done, we need to look at new uses for the building, and so on. We’re in the early stages of development of the redevelopment for that building, but we have a great committee and we’re eager to attack this new project.”
The Town bought the building, which has been recognised by Heritage NL as a registered heritage structure, a few years back and used some $100,000 in COVID-stimulus funding to do some renovations, mostly to the interior. The renovations included upgrades to the heating and electrical systems, installation of new windows, and some exterior work on the north-east corner.
“The Town is paying the light bill and the insurance, and so on, so we want to try and find a use for it, not only to help pay those bills, but to also attract people to the town,” said Costello.
The building, recognizable by its steep gable roof, wooden clapboard, and green and white colour scheme, was built in 1916 by the Bank of Montreal but was later converted to a courthouse and RNC headquarters (the story goes that the bank vault was converted to a jail cell.) The building also housed a doctor’s house and from 1974 until recently was home to a community museum.
Since the building is a heritage structure, Costello said it can be repurposed so long as the structure of the building and the exterior look of it is protected and maintained.
“As long as we don’t change the look of the building, we’re all good,” Costello said.
