Former Co-op’s transformation seen as part of downtown rejuvenation

“Who was going to come and buy such a building that was integral to downtown rehabilitating itself? And so, we wanted to be a part of the answer, not part of the problem, but part of the answer to Prince Albert becoming rejuvenated in the downtown core,” he said.

The old Co-op store sold groceries on the upper level, hardware, paint and everything else on the lower level. It covered a 98,000 square foot area, which Stead said is as big as an IKEA store. The building now houses a main hall, a number of banquet halls, a gymnasium, a daycare, learning academy, and yet-to-be sold retail space.

When the hall is in use, there are other spaces within the building which can be turned into a space for worship.

Stead said the church wanted to do something. He said they wanted to remodel the old building and let it become an event centre where people could gather.

“The size of the building was just too big to just be a church. We could have purchased it and just put a church in here, but in reality, there would have been a lot of, what I call, dead space by day, and we knew the citizens of Prince Albert needed an event centre,” he said.

Prince Albert hasn’t been a destination for conventions in the past, according to Stead. Smaller conventions would just bypass the city to be held in Waskesiu. He said the aim of Plaza 88 was to make it so business would flow through Prince Albert, filling hotels and lead to other spinoff effects.

The whole project has been financed solely by the church – Stead said a mortgage had to be taken out on the building.

“We’ve supported it ourselves, we’ve not looked for handouts. We’re just trying to do a job for, not draw from, but to do a job for Prince Albert. We supported that all through our own means.”

The transformation meant the interior of the building had to undergo a number of significant changes.

“In order to do everything we had a heart to do here, what we needed to do was change pretty much everything,” Stead said.

Architects and engineers committed the church’s vision to paper, and the plans had to be approved by City Hall. From there, walls had to be taken down, and plumbing and electrical infrastructure in the building had to be torn out.

There are a few fragments of the old configuration that remains: the old cafeteria and the commercial kitchen, as well as part of the loading dock. The cafeteria, which is blocked off to prevent curious onlookers from wandering in, still contains the old menu scrawled in colourful writing on chalkboards, and a fountain drink machine.

The kitchen will soon become the home of Lone Wolf Catering. Shawn Lealos, head chef and owner, said they always wanted a place where they would be located near the event they were catering.

“It’s better for us, I mean, we don’t have to travel … 15-20 minutes to the location. We’re right there,” Lealos said.

And it will mean catered events will be hosted on Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, as well.

It’s all a part of the change that’s ongoing at Plaza 88. The retail space that fronts onto Central Avenue will be sectioned off and then preparations will begin soon to carve out windows and doors. The external work won’t begin for months, according to Stead.

The convention centre’s directors have already received interest for the retail and office space. Currently, Plaza 88 is looking for retail and professional outlets to fill the commercial space, so it can be re-opened to the downtown core.

“We just want to be good citizens in Prince Albert, to work together with all of the other retail and professional areas of downtown Prince Albert, etcetera and to draw the community back into the downtown core.”

Plaza 88 will be hosting its official grand opening on May 2, starting at 2 p.m. For more information, call 306-763-4438.

tjames@panow.com

On Twitter: @thiajames

by Thia James

Former Co-op’s transformation seen as part of downtown rejuvenation

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