After more than a decade in limbo, Grand Falls House is open for development
Now that the historic Grand Falls house is firmly in the hands of the Town of Grand Falls-Windsor, the foundation in charge of the property is looking for ideas to develop it.
The Grand Falls House Foundation is seeking expressions of interests from anyone and everyone with ideas for the 114-year-old mansion. The public notice lists tourism, business, academia and non-profits as just a few of the sectors that could operate inside Grand Falls House.
Whoever puts forward a proposal will have 10 acres of land and 9,000 square feet to work with, spread across three floors with 12 bedrooms and seven bathrooms. The foundation says the house is still in "exceptional physical shape" for its age.
"The goal of the [Grand Falls House Foundation] is to capitalize on the assets of the property, generating an operating model which will not only preserve the heritage and history of the Grand Falls House but create additional economic value for tourism partners and the town," reads a release from the municipality.
Built in 1909 for the owners of the town's paper mill, the fate of the property has been a concern for residents since Abitibi left Grand Falls-Windsor in 2009. All company properties were expropriated by the province, and the town lobbied for years to have Grand Falls House turned over to its control.
That finally happened last year, and the property was given provincial heritage status on Feb. 1.
"Grand Falls House is an important part of our history," said Lisa Daly, chair of Heritage N.L. "It is an impressive, unique building, which helps commemorate the century-long impact of the Grand Falls paper mill on Newfoundland and Labrador."
The foundation says expressions of interest have to be submitted in writing to pmbartlett161@gmail.com.
"Interested parties must have a solid financial background and have access to the financial resources to undertake such a venture," the foundation said.
The deadline for submissions is March 30.
