The future of Niagara starts now with a Home for the Arts
A new facility is being planned by the City of St. Catharines and Brock University to serve all of Niagara. This partnership has unveiled plans to open a major arts centre in downtown St. Catharines and relocate Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIW SFPA) alongside.
The project is set to revitalize the urban growth centre of Niagara, add a major new cultural attractor to our region and serve artists, students and audience members from across the peninsula. The specialized, purpose-built and professionally managed facility will present, promote and develop the arts in Niagara.
Site and Venues
The Canada Hair Cloth Building is the chosen site for the MIW SFPA, and the Niagara Centre for the Arts (NCFA) is planned for property at the corner of Carlisle and St. Paul Street. Links between the two facilities are part of the conceptual plans.
Five distinct arts discipline-specific performance venues are planned:
900-seat concert hall
300-seat recital hall (for the MIW SFPA with some community access)
A Feasibility Study, prepared by Levitt Goodman Architects and Martin Vinik Planning for the Arts and Urban Strategies, was accepted in principle by St. Catharines’ City Council and Brock University’s Board of Trustees in late 2008. The study includes recommendations for programming and operating the new facilities, as well as economic impact analysis, site assessment information and details of the benefits the development will bring to Niagara, the arts community and Brock University.
The 412-page study is available below in segments. If printing, please note that italicized sections may require a paper size other than 8 1/2 x 11.
The Project
The future of Niagara starts now with a Home for the Arts
A new facility is being planned by the City of St. Catharines and Brock University to serve all of Niagara. This partnership has unveiled plans to open a major arts centre in downtown St. Catharines and relocate Brock University’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIW SFPA) alongside.
The project is set to revitalize the urban growth centre of Niagara, add a major new cultural attractor to our region and serve artists, students and audience members from across the peninsula. The specialized, purpose-built and professionally managed facility will present, promote and develop the arts in Niagara.
Site and Venues
The Canada Hair Cloth Building is the chosen site for the MIW SFPA, and the Niagara Centre for the Arts (NCFA) is planned for property at the corner of Carlisle and St. Paul Street. Links between the two facilities are part of the conceptual plans.
Five distinct arts discipline-specific performance venues are planned:
The project also includes new classrooms, studio space and all the additional spaces required for the Music, Theatre and Visual Arts programs at Brock, as well as office space, rehearsal hall, a café and lobby space for the NCFA and community arts organizations.
Project Details
A Feasibility Study, prepared by Levitt Goodman Architects and Martin Vinik Planning for the Arts and Urban Strategies, was accepted in principle by St. Catharines’ City Council and Brock University’s Board of Trustees in late 2008. The study includes recommendations for programming and operating the new facilities, as well as economic impact analysis, site assessment information and details of the benefits the development will bring to Niagara, the arts community and Brock University.
The 412-page study is available below in segments. If printing, please note that italicized sections may require a paper size other than 8 1/2 x 11.
More questions? …see our FAQs page.