By Katherine Bitzer
Published June 2025
It is exciting to confirm that construction at 97 Victoria Making Home is moving into its final phases. When we moved St. John’s Kitchen and Worth A Second Look thrift store out of 97 Victoria in October 2023, we expected it would be an 18 month construction timeline. The only problem was that it took until February 2024 to start demolition and then it was not until May 2024 that we received our full building permit.
Once we had the building permit, except for some minor delays, construction has moved along quickly and at a consistent pace. It is a complicated project that includes the addition of a third story on the main building, the complete renovation of the two original floors of the main building, the construction of the new St. John’s Kitchen mass timber building, and the full landscaping of the property to create a courtyard at the centre of the property.
As of June 2024, just 12 months since our full permit, the new third floor is drywalled and is being painted, washrooms are being tiled, and the hallways are ready for painting. The second floor is on a similar trajectory with full completion by mid-July. The main floor medical clinic space is fully drywalled as are the washrooms, showers and laundry area. The new St. John’s Kitchen will have its drywall finished and ready for painting by mid-June. The landscaping is scheduled to be completed by the end of June or early July as is the exterior finishing of both buildings. We expect that it will take 4-6 weeks to complete installation of mill work cabinets, plumbing and electrical fixtures, fire alarm equipment, door locks, and kitchen equipment.
All of our partners from Perimeter Development, Govan Brown and all the trades are working at a steady pace to ensure that the Making Home project will be completed by early September!
For more information and updates about the Making Home project, please visit: www.97victoria.theworkingcentre.org
