A historic nunnery is up for sale after a creditor pushed an Ashcroft Homes subsidiary into receivership, raising worries and hopes about the fate of a heritage property the city says is already unsafe. The Sisters of the Visitation convent near the southwest corner of Richmond Road and Island Park Drive dates back to the 1910s, though parts of it were constructed before Confederation. It housed an order of cloistered nuns for a century, until the property was sold to Ashcroft Homes in 2009 for $12.
7 million. Ashcroft built a condo development to the north of the convent. In 2018, city council approved plans to build another nine-storey apartment building linked to the historic convent, which would be retained and preserved.
But that never happened, and the convent has been sitting boarded up and vacant for years. In the meantime, $723,567 of tax arrears have built up on the property, which also has about $140,000 worth of liens for money owed to a contractor. According to Stuart Huxley, the interim city solicitor, the city has deemed the building unsafe and issued an order requiring the owner to retain a certified engineer to assess it and provide recommendations for repairs.
Huxley said the building is suffering from "significant structural cracks" to its foundation. The building owner has appealed the city's order, Huxley said. "The building is a treasure in our community," said Kitchissippi Coun.
Jeff Leiper. "It is absolutely irresponsible that the building has been allo.
