Progress continues to be on schedule and on budget on the south pavilion renovation and expansion project at Confederation Centre of the Arts. Construction is set to be moved off Victoria Row by Monday, June 23 to allow visitors to enjoy restaurant patios and live music throughout the summer.

Removal of exterior wall sandstone panels is complete, which will make room for additions such as the new rehearsal hall and bump outs on either side of the entrance.

Construction is ongoing for two new foundations that will add additional levels to the structure, creating four floors. Progress will soon be made on transitional spaces, like stairs and an elevator to different levels, as well as a solar chimney to allow natural light into the building.

The new rehearsal hall will include an elevator, making the space more accessible.

Mass timber arrived in PEI to create structure for the new additions to the building. Choosing timber is a sustainable choice over standard steel, played a major role in the project’s goal to achieve net-zero emissions. Assembly of the timber is well underway.

For more information on how to support our rejuvenation project, visit confederationcentre.com/sharedvoices.

Impressive progress has been made on our South Pavilion renovation and expansion project since the start of 2025. 

Light interior demolition was completed in December. That includes the removal and demolition of things like non-load-bearing walls, Gyproc, flooring, air ducts, plumbing, and anything else not connected to the structural integrity of the building. 

Structural demolition is ongoing. Two large sections of concrete floor are being removed from the centre block of the building. This will allow for the construction of a new street-level entrance and lobby that will create a far more inviting and accessible space to enter the building. Also, the inserts between the centre and east blocks, and the centre and west blocks of the building are being demolished to make way for new inserts that will allow more natural light into the space. 

As you can see, the demolition of these structural inserts is painstaking work. In these photos you can see workers lifting just one slab of concrete off the roof of the insert. This process will be repeated many times. But the end result will be worth it… 

There is also significant new construction taking place on-site. Structural steel has been installed in the east and west mezzanine levels for the addition of a new concrete floor that will turn two one-story spaces with 22-foot ceilings into two two-story spaces each with eight and ten-foot ceilings.  

This will increase the usable area of the renovated space by 3800 square feet. Those floors were poured this week.  

In the coming weeks work will begin on mass timber structure installation in the former library space as well as continued work on the removal of concrete floor, and the centre inserts.  

Once completed, these renovations will facilitate the expansion of arts educations programs here at the Centre by adding new learning spaces for visual art, performance, dance, and music. They will create a welcoming space with more natural light and far better accessibility. These program expansions and physical improvements will make the Centre more attractive and compelling to visitors and will inspire major benefits for the downtown.  

Interior and exterior demolition has continued in the south pavilion these last few weeks. Since the beginning of the month, crews have been preparing the space for the removal of structural concrete. Through the windows of the former library space, you may have seen some of the framed shoring that’s been installed to ensure the work can be carried out safely. 

This shoring is built three stories high – right to the ceiling of the building – so that as concrete from the ceiling is demolished it settles on the surface directly below it and does not fall three stories to the floor.  

This work will continue into the new year to make way for the construction of the two prominent inserts you may have seen in the architectural renderings of the completed structure. These inserts will bring more light into the main lobby of the new space and will frame the new main entrance. One of the rooftops of the inserts will also be accessible and could serve as a space for events. 

Another major part of the project now underway is the construction of the expanded electrical system for the new building. Hundreds of meters of new wiring and conduits are being installed, and crews are carrying out upgrades to other electrical infrastructure.  

Crews have also started removing the centre floor of the mezzanine level below the former library. Both it and the centre floor of the library itself are being completely removed. A new floor is being built at street level so as you pass through the Victoria Row doors, you enter a large, bright lobby space rather than a small stairwell. This change will make the space far more accessible and welcoming. 

More updates will follow after the holidays. For more information on how to support our rejuvenation project, visit confederationcentre.com/sharedvoices  

Earlier this week, the Centre launched the public phase of the $71.5 million Shared Voices campaign in support of our new cultural leadership institute. For updates on the campaign and to donate visit confederationcentre.com/sharedvoices 

Over the past month crews have made significant progress on the interior demolition phase of our project. The former library space is now stripped back to the cinder blocks, and work continues in the former administrative and arts education offices. The next stage will see a large section of the main floor of the former library removed. 

This week, the server room was relocated to the former wardrobe storage space in the backstage area. This is a significant piece of work that will allow the Centre to continue doing business over the course of the renovation. 

On Wednesday, the public tender closed for building envelope construction which includes the rehearsal hall.  This is the largest of the trade packages that went out for bidding for the project. That tender was awarded to Brighton Construction. They are one of over 40 Island companies who have been involved in the project thus far. They include: 

These companies and their employees are seeing immediate benefits from our project. Almost all this investment will stay in the community for the benefit of the economy and individual Islanders. 

Last week, the Centre hosted provincial Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Ernie Hudson and Charlottetown Mayor Philip Brown for a tour of the project. We are grateful for the support for our project from all levels of government. 

Staff here at the Centre continue to finalize designs for the safety partition that will be constructed in early January to allow work on areas that front on Victoria Row to be carried out safely. The partition will be located on the street next to the patios. The latest schedules show that the partition will be in place from January to June 2025. The partition will come down in June so Islanders and visitors will be able to enjoy the Row as they always have over the summer. It will go up again in October 2025 and will stay in place until the project is substantially completed in May 2026. 

We will provide another update before Christmas. 

Earlier this week, in partnership with Discover Charlottetown, the Victoria Row stage was temporarily relocated to the north lawn of the Coles Building to support the Victorian Christmas Market. The stage will move back to Victoria Row in June 2025 so that Islanders and visitors alike will be able to enjoy the Row during the summer as they always have.

Crews continued their work removing paving stones and planters from the south plaza area next to the former library space. This is where the Centre will build a new stage-sized rehearsal hall that will support the creation and development of new work, and will provide much-needed, medium-sized meeting space in downtown Charlottetown.

The temporary fencing on Queen Street that allowed for the safe removal of the concrete has been disassembled, and the parking spaces it occupied are now open.

Demolition also continued inside the former library space. There will be major changes to the inside of the building that will make way for new interpretive spaces that explore the history of our country and the continued evolution of Confederation, as well as new arts education and activity spaces.

Centre staff continue to explore designs for the safety partition that will be located on Victoria Row starting in January of this year. That partition will be in place from January to June 2025, at which time it will come down for the summer. As you can see in the draft design images, the partition will not interfere with the patios or businesses on Victoria Row. But it will allow for construction activities on Victoria Row to be carried out safely.

Further updates will be provided in the coming weeks.

Confederation Centre of the Arts’ $65 million renovation to the former library space is now underway. Funded by the Governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island, this mix of renovation and new construction will be transformative for the Centre and the downtown.

Over the past two weeks crews have been demolishing the interior of the former library to make way for significant changes including the addition of new arts learning and development spaces, and interpretive spaces that will focus on our shared history.

Crews have been removing paver stones from the south plaza area above Victoria Row. This is necessary for the construction of the new stage-sized rehearsal hall that will assist in the development of new work and provide much needed event space downtown.

The former administrative offices are also being demolished to accommodate new space for expanded public programs, including dance, choir, and visual arts education spaces.

The former library, including the Victoria Row entrance and the concourse entrance, as well as the plaza area next to the former library is now closed to the public while construction takes place. We ask visitors to use the entrances on Queen Street (Box Office) or on Grafton Street (Gallery plaza level).

Chain-link safety fencing has been installed along the perimeter of the Centre’s property. This fencing will remain in place for the duration of the project.

The Centre will be providing regular updates on this blog as construction unfolds.