Sisters of Providence Academy Renovation, Historic Washington Architecture Photos
Providence Academy Renovation
Historic Washington Building, North America – design by SERA Architects
Nov 1, 2019
Providence Academy Renewal
Design: SERA Architects
Location: Vancouver, Washington, USA

Photos by Eckert & Eckert Photography
One of the most historically significant structures in the Pacific Northwest, Providence Academy is nearly 150 years old. The Academy?built by the Sisters of Providence in 1873 and designed by Mother Joseph Pariseau?has served at various times as an orphanage, office space, and boarding school. The boarding school, the last significant occupant, ceased operation with the graduating class of 1966, and in the years since, the building has stood mostly empty and neglected.
In 2009, a local group of civic-minded entrepreneurs, recognizing the inherent value of the legacy building and its important proximity to downtown Vancouver?s urban core, acquired the 64,000-square-foot building. The group worked to stabilize the facility to ensure the building?s continued viability for its yet-to-be-determined future.

In 2012, The Historic Trust, the organization charged with preservation and management of properties on the nearby Fort Vancouver Historic Site, and Venerable Properties hired SERA for a series of studies to determine Providence Academy?s potential for future use.

The result of that study was a multi-phased vision to transform the derelict fac...