Former Cambridge school transformed into apartment buildings

A former elementary school in downtown Cambridge has gotten a modern makeover.

The classrooms at Dickson Public School have been transformed into 10 freshly-renovated apartment suites.

The building, at 65 Andrew Street, was built in 1877. The school was in operation for 134 years before it closed due to declining enrollment.

Dickson Public School in an undated photo. (Courtesy: City of Cambridge Archives)

Tom Mitchell, who was Dickson’s principal from 1969 to 1972, is impressed with the new look.

“I think they've done a very nice job in here, considering where the classrooms were,” he told CTV News. Pointing to one of the suites, he added: “This was a kindergarten room right up above the coal bin.”

Former staff and students got a tour of the building at an open house and BBQ on Wednesday.

• PHOTO GALLERY: See more of the before and after transformation

Sheryl Bell, a former Dickson school secretary, said her family has lived in Galt for generations.

“I worked here for 37 years. And I went to school here from kindergarten to Grade 5. When I started working here, my kindergarten teacher was still teaching kindergarten in the same room. My dad went here as well.”

Dickson Public School before renovation. (Courtesy: Woodhouse Group)

Former teacher Liz Bell told CTV News she loves the renovations and the tour brought back many memories.

“It was eight classrooms: four upstairs, four downstairs,” she said. “The library was in the basement. The gym was in the basement as well.”

Mark McInnis bought the building from the Waterloo Regional District School Board in 2012. He said the original plan was to build an office space but “getting the right financing mix, combined with the ability to get a tenant and trying to get those two things to mesh together, was a challenging thing.” 

Dickson Public School before renovation. (Courtesy: Woodhouse Group)

The historic building is now home to 10 residential units.

“A combination of five two-bedrooms, two one-bedrooms, two one-bedrooms plus den, and one studio unit,” McInnis explained.

As a designated heritage site, there were limitations on what renovations could be done to the building.

“There were elements that we weren't allowed to touch, which make the building beautiful as it is,” McInnis said.

Dickson Public School after renovation. (Courtesy: Woodhouse Group)

Ultimately, all parties are happy with how the project turned out.

“We peeled back some of the existing tin ceilings, preserved what we could and reinstalled them as accents within the building,” explained Jason Boyer, director of general contracting for the Woodhouse Group. “There was a bit of fine tuning [with] the masonry, and whatnot, to bring it up to an acceptable standard.”

Kristi Lawrance, who taught at Dickson Public School until about 15 years ago, was also impressed with the building’s new look.

“I taught special education in the building,” she said. “I taught upstairs, and it's all blocked off now. But yeah, I loved it. I taught gym in the basement [and it’s] totally different now.”

Dickson Public School after renovation. (Courtesy: Woodhouse Group)

Bell admired the attention to detail that’s gone into the project.

“I thought it was great that they kept the old floors and the old staircase,” she said.

The railing for that wooden staircase still stands in its original spot – woodchips and all.

“That’s a beautiful building and it's been part of the community for all these years,” Bell added.

Tenants in five of the 10 rental units are set to move in next month.