It is the oldest surviving mission church in the Vancouver area, immortalized in paint by EJ Hughes and in words by Emily Carr, visited by Hollywood star Martin Sheen and anointed a national historic site by the federal government.
St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church has stood in Eslhá7an village for 130 years, a local landmark on the North Shore of Burrard Inlet and a fixture of the Mission reserve at the mouth of Mosquito Creek.
But in recent years, the elegant edifice had turned shabby. Its paint was faded and peeling and its stately spires shrouded in white plastic. "It takes a pretty heavy hit from the weather," said prominent Vancouver heritage architectural consultant Donald Luxton, who helped put together a conservation plan for St. Paul's.
Funding for restoration of the spires came from an unlikely saviour, Luigi Aquilini, patriarch of the Aquilini Group, and his wife Elise. Aquilini's commitment to front the $230,000 needed to restore the twin spires came after a chat with Squamish Nation hereditary chief Gibby Jacob over dinner one evening, says Father John Biroux, who leads the congregation at St. Paul's.
Income from the St. Paul's Indian Church Preservation Trust allowed trustees to spearhead the restoration project, starting in 2011, with the goal of returning the spires, crosses, towers and building envelope to its original state.
Pattison Sign Group converted the neon crosses that crown the church's twin spires to LED. A grant from the Heritage Fund of B.C. covered the cost of paint for the restoration of the church's exterior to historic colours.
"It just glistens in the sun. It's a work of art," said Donna Oseen, the church trust's co-chair and secretary treasurer, of the newly completed restoration.
In September, Heritage BC recognized Oseen and the restoration team with an award for outstanding achievement in the area of heritage conservation.
Luxton praised the work of the trustees and commends their long-term vision. "It's really such a landmark and it's great it's getting taken care of," Luxton said.
"They've been very good custodians of the building. It's so good to see the work has been done. Now it's ready tp go another long stretch."
