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Grey Nuns Mother House open door tours 

On Feb. 21, Concordia and the Grey Nuns welcomed neighbourhood residents and Fine Arts Faculty and staff into the Grey Nuns Mother House for a series of open house tours. More than 100 individuals participated in the tours to engage in dialogue and contribute their ideas about the management of the heritage space and the future integration of fine arts facility.

"We recognize the Mother House is one of the most significant landmarks of this neighbourhood. That's why we are so honoured to be part of this legacy," says Director of Special Projects and Cultural Affairs Clarence Epstein. "The open house gave us a great opportunity to interact with neighbours."

Each hour on the hour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., tours began with a short background presentation from Epstein and Director of Facilities Planning and Development Martine Lehoux. Tour-goers were then guided by members of the Grey Nuns order through the chapel, the storied hallways and into the Salle de la Communauté. The tours culminated with a question and answer session with the Sisters, as well as VP Services Michael Di Grappa and Associate VP Facilities Management Peter Bolla.

Over the next decades, the Faculty of Fine Arts will bring together its creative energy and resources onto the culturally rich site. While an agreement in principle was made in 2004 that Concordia would take possession of the entire site in stages, Concordia has been following a gradual integration plan in close consultation with the Grey Nuns order. Over the past few months, Concordia representatives have also met with a number of local resident, business and heritage groups.

At the moment, the concept is still in its very early stages. A portion of the site is currently being used for student residences and the transformation into the use of the site for academic purposes is being pursued.

Later in 2009, an architectural competition will be launched to plan the future arts complex. The competition will be incorporating a public participation process. After a winner is selected, the university will enter the project phase.

Concordia has set up a website dedicated to providing information and a channel for feedback about the process. Still in its initial stages, the website will continue to evolve and encompass more as the vision progresses. www.concordia.ca/greynuns