Sydney Street Courthouse (Credit: Brian Goodwin)
The Saint John Theatre Company has inched closer toward earning the city’s approval for an expansion on its new historic location.
The theatre company unveiled its plans for the Sydney Street courthouse, which is a National Historic Site, back in January.
At Monday’s council meeting, councillors considered a bylaw amendment which would allow the SJTC to expand into the east-facing parking lot along King Street East, to allow for a medium-capacity performance venue inside.
The plan received rave reviews from councillors, including Gary Sullivan, who said he struggled to remain neutral during the presentation.
“Not only is it preserving heritage, it’s going to be modern-building design,” Sullivan said. “It is theatre in what we’re creating, such a strong theatre and cultural district in our uptown.”
Councillor Donna Reardon agreed the expansion would allow the city to remain true to its roots while also receiving a modernized upgrade.
“I love the differentiation between the old and new, I love all the rationale of building modern. I love that our city will reflect architectural design from all different eras, including this one,” Reardon said.
Stephen Tobias is the theatre company’s executive director. He said they understood from the start that the building was beloved by the community.
“That was one of the main motivations behind us selecting this property for such an ambitious development,” Tobias said. “A project of this nature is going to require more than just the cultural community to support it in order to succeed.”
The theatre company has yet to provide firm financial details or funding plans, though federal and provincial funds were earmarked for the project back in 2019.
Council will consider the third reading of the bylaw amendment at an upcoming meeting.
