Birge-Carnegie Reconstruction Milestone Completed

^{The Goldring Reading Room at Victoria College is undergoing restoration, thanks to a $1 million donation from alumna Judy Goldring Vic 8T7 and $500,000 from her brother Blake Goldring Vic 8T1. (Photos by Mayes Rihani)}

By Sam Chater

The renovation of the historic Birge-Carnegie building has reached a significant milestone with the completion of all non-structural demolition work. This included removing many later additions to the original building, such as drywall partitions, some floors and finishings and outdated mechanical and electrical systems.

All the building's heritage features are being preserved. Some were removed to be restored offsite during construction, while others, such as door frames, baseboards, stone columns and windows, have been carefully protected. All hazardous materials, including lead paint, were tested and removed safely.

“We conducted a thorough investigation before starting any work,” said Mayes Rihani, Victoria University’s associate director of major capital project management and planning. “This gave us valuable insights into the building’s history and informed our decisions for the renovation.”

Birge-Carnegie served as the Victoria College library from 1910 until the E.J. Pratt Library was completed in 1961. Since then, the building has been underutilized, with a large part of the main floor and the basement used as storage for archival material belonging to the United Church of Canada and Victoria University. The renovation will add more study and gathering spaces for students, as well as a new classroom and offices that will better meet the university’s operational needs.

A highlight of the renovation is the Goldring Reading Room, made possible by a $1 million donation from Victoria College alumni Judy Goldring Vic 8T7 and $500,000 from her brother Blake Goldring Vic 8T1. Restoring the room’s large, Gothic arch heritage windows is a key aspect.

Mockups for the window restoration have been completed, and aluminum storm windows installed on the interior of the heritage windows have been removed to reveal the beauty of the original stonework. Birge-Carnegie’s only remaining original furnishings, the large reading room tables from 1910, have been moved offsite for storage and will be returned, restored and updated to the Reading Room.

The building’s central skylight, an original design feature, is visible again now that infill flooring on the upper floor has been removed.

“It was covered years ago to increase office space on the upper floor,” Rihani said. “By removing it, we opened the light well, allowing natural light to fill the building from the rooftop to the building’s main lobby.”

^{The central skylight at Birge Carnegie.}

The archives, previously housed in the basement and on the main floor, have been relocated to the E.J. Pratt Library and long-term storage offsite, where items can still be retrieved as needed. To convert these rooms into offices and a classroom, the stack shelving and marble window covers have been removed, and the existing floor will be lowered and levelled for accessibility.

The next phase of the renovation will include structural modifications and building upgrades for accessibility, such as a new central elevator, gender-neutral and accessible washrooms and upgraded doors and pathways. The building will also become more energy efficient by replacing all non-heritage windows and installing new mechanical and electrical systems.

The roof of the former archives will be replaced and converted into a terrace, providing new functional outdoor space on the upper level at the east end of the building facing Charles St W.

The renovations are expected to be completed by December 2026, and the building will reopen to students and staff shortly after that