Casavant Frères
Opus 516, 1913

The Sisters closed the Academy in 1974 and sold it to the province, which used it as office space until it was condemned by the city. It then stood vacant for more than a decade while its future was debated. In 1995, it received a two-year renovation, in which most of its 76,000 square feet became modern office space, leased to the Ministry of Advanced Education, in line with the Sisters' educational aims. The section containing the deconsecrated chapel and its organ became an historical Interpretive Centre, restored to its 1920s deçor. It is a popular venue for weddings and other special events.

From builder's quote #217:
"Buffet en frêne 8 pieds de largeur, avec tuyaux de façade décorés en couleurs et en or." (Case of ash 8 ft wide, with facade pipes decorated in colours on gold.)

During the years the building was closed, the organ bench disappeared; a new one in ash was produced by Grant Smalley Pipe Organs. Several ebony stop knobs taken by vandals were replicated from sample by a local turner.

The stenciled facade pipes were at some point over-painted in silver, and then in the current gold.

Identified through information in Casavant documents, courtesy of Simon Couture and Denis Blaine.