Providence Academy

Mother Joseph and the Sisters of Providence

Providence Academy is the legacy of the Sisters of Providence, a Catholic religious community founded by Mother Emilie Gamelin in 19th-century Montreal. Rooted in a deep commitment to serve those in need, the Sisters responded to suffering with action, caring for the poor, the sick, and the vulnerable with compassion, dignity, and faith.

in 1856, five Sisters traveled west, journeying by sea and horseback to what was then a remote and undeveloped region. Guided by their faith and a courageous spirit, they established schools, hospitals, and places of refuge across the Pacific Northwest.

Among them was Mother Joseph, a woman of extraordinary vision and determination. A skilled builder and architect, she oversaw the construction of more than 30 buildings, often working with her own hands. Providence Academy was her crowning achievement, created as both a place of service and a visible expression of beauty, order, and care for the community.

Stewardship

When The Historic Trust acquired Providence Academy in 2015, the attic held 50 five-gallon buckets catching rainwater. Gallery porches were rotting. The parking lot was unpaved gravel.

Now, thanks to community investment of nearly $22 million, Providence Academy has been stabilized, restored, and reactivated. Today, with occupancy exceeding 90% and events held more than 40 weekends each year, the Academy is a dynamic hub of community activity.

That progress reflects decades of stewardship. After the school closed in 1966, the Hidden family bought the building in 1969 and prevented demolition. In 2015, nearly 1,000 donors empowered The Historic Trust to continue that stewardship by purchasing the landmark building for the community.

History

Providence Academy, originally known as the House of Providence, is a former orphanage, school, and regional headquarters for the Sisters of Providence. The first five Sisters of Providence in the region, led by Mother Joseph of the Sacred Heart (1823-1902), arrived in Vancouver in 1856 from Montreal, to serve the humanitarian and spiritual needs of the region. Construction of the building, designed by Mother Joseph, was begun in 1873, and it was first in use in 1874. Of the 29 buildings designed by Mother Joseph and built in the Pacific Northwest and Canada, the 3-story Georgian Revival Academy is one of only two remaining. The Sacred Heart Garden by the Academy’s entrance, designed by Mother Joseph in c. 1875, is the oldest known formal landscape designed by a Euro-American woman and in continuous use in the western United States.

The Academy was serving as a girls’ school at the time of its closure in mid-1966. Local grassroots preservationist Robert Hidden purchased the building in 1969 and, with his family, adapted it for re-use for boutiques, offices, and events. The Academy was placed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.

The Historic Trust bought the venerable building in 2015 to preserve and share with the public, and since then has invested more than $17,000,000 given by the community to purchase, maintain, and rehabilitate the remarkable architectural treasure.

Currently housing offices and commercial and event spaces, the Academy remains an inspirational legacy of the lasting work of the Sisters to establish social service, medical, and education networks, and a testament to the community’s commitment to steward the building today, and pass it on to the future.