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Major renovations continue at historic 178-year-old Assumption Church with another milestone recently completed and the next scheduled phase involving some very intricate work.
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The west wall of the church’s interior is now fully repaired and renovated, leaving only the church’s center portion and ceiling to be renewed, according to lawyer Paul Mullins who has been leading efforts to help save the landmark church on the city’s west end.
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But that next phase will begin in the tight confines of the balcony where the church’s massive organ is in the way of the work that still needs to be completed.
“It is the most complicated area because that’s where the organ is,” Mullins said. “In order to do the repairs in the ceiling above the balcony and redo the plaster and murals, we have to dismantle the organ.”
Originally built in 1919, the Casavant organ has 2,250 individual pipes ranging in size from a few centimeters up to about five meters in length, he said.
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“The organ is fascinating,” Mullins said. “Each pipe will be dismantled and stored while the ceiling is being done.”
Once the ceiling work is completed, the organ will then be carefully reassembled following a “complete cleaning of each pipe,” he said. “The whole project will be quite an undertaking.”
The work to take apart the organ and start repairing the center portion of the church is scheduled to begin in June. Coinciding with International Organ Day on Saturday, each mass at the church this weekend will feature an organist representing the Royal College of Canadian Organists.

“Our hope is to have it put back together and back in place by September, but part of that is the availability of specialized traders for the ceiling work,” Mullins said.
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Costs for cleaning and repairs to the organ are anticipated to be around $100,000 with the completion of the ceiling plaster and mural renewal in the center portion of the church from front to back to cost about $1.75 million overall.
This next work phase will be paid for as money is raised, with ongoing fundraising efforts, Mullins said.
To date, about $5 million has been raised to cover the amount of work already completed.
“We have the money to start this next section of work, but not enough yet to complete it,” Mullins said. “We can only go as fast as we have the money.”
Once the interior phase of work is completed, the final stages remaining of renovations include repairing the exterior masonry work.
For more information on the restoration visit online at assumptionparish.ca.
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