One of Vancouver’s most historically prized public garden settings is located at the Sacred Heart Plaza at Ed Lynch Square, which is part of Providence Academy, half a mile from the Bremik office in Vancouver, WA. Unfortunately, the grounds over time have not been maintained and the beauty and functionality of the garden had lost its vitality. In 2015, The Historic Trust purchased Providence Academy, and has invested more than $16 million in rehabilitation, restoration, and preservation of this important Vancouver landmark. The objective of this project is to create a new community gathering and event spaces that are infused with heritage and preserve and interpret the historic Sacred Heart Garden designed by Mother Joseph c. 1875.
“There is some intrigue in this project because we are working in a space where objects over 100 years old were thought to have been buried,” said Stone Rose, Senior Project Superintendent. “Items like evidence of a fountain in the middle of the heart-shaped garden and heart shapes made of crushed rock thought to match that existing heart shape could be found.”
The finished project will restore the heart shape path to its original position, adding walkways, a public plaza and more intimate public gathering places, and include seating, planted areas, and historic interpretation. New planting and trees are designed to maximize and frame views of the Academy. The new landscape design takes inspiration from the site’s overall history and physically flows from the outline of the Sacred Heart as it exists today, preserving it for future research and historical discovery.
Bremik’s work at Sacred Heart Plaza reflects our commitment to preserving local heritage and enhancing public spaces for future generations.
