London Normal School Restoration

The London Normal School comprises one full block, East of Wortley Road and West of Marley Place and was designated as a Heritage building by the City of London in 1985. This property is protected by a Conservation Easement Agreement held by the Ontario Heritage Trust.

Built between 1898 and 1900, it was originally erected as the London Normal School (Teacher's College), the third to be built in the province. Architecturally, the school is described as late High Victorian, combining elements of the Gothic Revival and Romanesque Revival styles. An architect employed with the Ontario Department of Public Works designed this building.

The main facade is 150 feet wide with a massive central tower, 18 square feet and riding 132 feet above ground and houses the main entrance porch. The entire structure has 4 stories, including basement and attic floors. The stonework at basement level is of Credit Valley brownstone; the walls and two (2) decorative chimneys are of salmon coloured pressed brick made in Milton, Ontario. The roof is slate and the entire building is rimmed with Ohio greystone.

The Architect: Ventin Group Ltd., Architects was awarded the project design and contract administration of the project based upon a public request for proposals process. They are based out of Simcoe, Ontario with offices in Toronto and Cambridge.

The Ventin Group has completed comparable restoration and conservation projects at: Brantford Court House; Ontario Legislative Building, Queen's Park; Old City Hall, Toronto

Contractor for Phase One:
Robertson Restoration was awarded the contract for the phase one repair and restoration work based upon public tender process that included a prequalification process. Based out of Brantford, Robertson Restoration has completed comparable brickwork restoration projects at:

W. Ross MacDonald School, Brantford; Eldon House & Grosvenor Lodge, London; Knox United Church, Ayr

Contractor for Phase Two: Updated December 2009
The restoration of the tower is now complete (first part of Phase Two). MHPM has been awarded the Project Management contract through an RFS and the Ventin Group has been procured as the Architect of record. Robertson Restoration has been procured as the Contractor for the remaining portion of Phase Two and work is now underway. For the scope of work for the second part of Phase Two, click here. And to view photos of the completed tower, click here.

ORC and MHPM hosted an information session to discuss the project status on October 29, 2009. To view the presentation, click here. (4.5 Mb pdf) right-click on link, then select 'Save Target As...'

The Project Manager:
MHPM Project Managers Inc. was awarded the project management contract of the project based upon a public request for proposals process. MHPM has successfully delivered over 3,000 projects to date from its regional offices located across Canada. Many of these projects have involved historical restoration and conservation initiatives, including most recently:

Canadian Parliament Buildings - West Block Interim Space Program & Renovations; London Courthouse; The City of Hamilton - Nash Jackson House

Building Management and Operations:
The Former London Normal School building and property are managed by Ontario Realty Corporation Property Services on behalf of the Ontario Realty Corporation. Comments concerning the building operations may be directed to ORC Property Services at their toll free number: 1 877 590-5090.

To view project photos, click here.