In a small community about 15 minutes west of Moncton, a historical church has gotten a new lease on life.
The 1842 church, now called Jones Brook Cottage, at 288 Upper Mountain Rd. is one of two projects completed by Danny Lagace, the owner of Old Church Cottages.
Lagace told Huddle the project began partly because he needed something to do when he retired from the military.
Driving around the countryside, he noticed the many abandoned buildings dotting the landscape. So in early 2016 he purchased an old church in Boundary Creek and decided to save it from deterioration and demolition.
Lagace dubbed the three-and-a-half-year conversion a labour of love.
“It wasn’t full-time work, but it was a lot of work. There’s no money to be made in it, that’s for sure. It started as a project to keep myself busy,” he said.
“It took a while to empty the place. There was so much stuff in it–it was incredible–and I donated most of it to charities in the Moncton area.”
Both churches he bought needed to be gutted with everything done from scratch, right down to the electrical wiring in the walls.
Lagace did all the work he legally could, hiring electricians, plumbers, and other tradesmen when needed.
“There were a million different things that needed to be done, but we didn’t replace the Gothic window (at the Boundary Creek church). We kept it, because that’s what made the church unique.”
Lagace also found and refurbished antiques and furniture in need of TLC, giving them a new purpose in the converted churches.
“I ended up going through a bunch of old buildings and collecting everything that caught my eye. I thought, ‘I could do something with this even though it’s damaged.’ I rearranged and fixed everything. That’s time consuming – and that’s why the projects took so long,” he said.
“I realized I had an eye for that kind of thing and had a chance to find my artistic side, if you will.”
The second church he bought was in the community of Flatlands, near Campbellton, where he and his wife now live. Legace also plans for a third church conversation in the same community.
“We had a huge house in Lutz Mountain in Magnetic Hill, we decided to move into the cottage in Boundary Creek for a year, and then sell the house,” said Lagace. “We moved up north to the cottage in Flatlands after, and have been there since June,” said Lagace.
“We haven’t started to rent (the second one) yet. We have an opening date of June 1, and we’ve already taken bookings for it,” Lagace said.
Starting an accommodation business six months out from the pandemic made for a slow start for bookings for the 3,000 square foot cottage in Boundary Creek. Lagace reported twenty stays at the Boundary Creek cottage he opened it.
“We opened our doors, Covid hit and we basically haven’t been able to rent anything. I think we’ve rented twice during Covid,” he said.
Renting one for a night cost $650 in 2020 – an expense he reduced by $100 to entice guests in a time when tourism has been staunched by restrictions.
Lagace said he won’t likely be converting any other old churches, noting he has bigger plans in another part of the province.
“I did it out of passion and it’s a lot of work. I just wanted to keep myself busy until I figure out what I want to do when I grow up.”
Sam Macdonald is a Reporter for Huddle Today, an Acadia Broadcasting content sharing partner.