St. Mary's College undeterred by Lacombe Centre fire

By ANH HOANG
WCR Staff Writer
Calgary

"The campus move did not include that particular building," said Greg Flanagan, the college's dean of studies. "As far as the plans for St. Mary's campus, we had no immediate plans to do anything with that building."

The red-brick, three-storey building sat on a stretch of land slated as the permanent campus for the college, which has operated out of an old elementary school in southwest Calgary.

The morning fire gutted the interior of the building, which has been vacant for more than 30 years.

Built in 1910, the centre was the vision of Father Albert Lacombe, an Oblate missionary, as a refuge for the elderly and orphans. Over the years, several buildings have been constructed on the site to serve as a boarding school, orphanage and addiction treatment centre.

Flanagan said the college's planned July 1 move will not change. Fall classes will take place in a school now on the site. Construction on a $700,000 building to house the library began April 9.

"Everything will proceed as planned," Flanagan said.

He added that there has been no official word whether the diocese, the land's owner, will completely demolish the building or rebuild it.

The college will hold an open house at the Lacombe Center April 29 at 7:30 p.m.

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