Why an Auditorium was Needed

The Manor is a community; a group of individuals from around the county living together. However, the reality was that there was no place in the Manor for these individuals to come together as a community. Although the original building had an auditorium, when the Manor was relocated to its present Renfrew location at 470 Albert Street in 1995, the building design only included a dining room space with a maximum capacity of 70 people and a 'Great Hall' with a maximum capapcity of 60 people. The capacity of these rooms is far less than what was needed to accomodate the 180 residents, their families, staff and volunteers, and therefore greatly limited the events and activities that could take place within them.

For the past 16 years residents, staff and families have done their best to make do with the limited space available. Unfortunately, this has meant that not all residents cannot participate in group occasions held at the Manor. In addition, those who did, were often visually resitricted as they are crowded into tight spaces often with pillars blocking their view.

 Click here to watch a documentary on the Bonnechere Manor Auditorium!

Also, as the largest space available was located in a dining room, activities and functions were restricted to take place around breakfast, lunch and dinner meal times. In addition, furniture needed to constantly be moved and also restricted the space available for various activities. For these reasons, having a larger space at the Manor was in great need!

The issue of tight space raised additional concerns, for if there were medical emergencies or illnesses, medical attention by staff and paramedices could have been delayed in reaching the individual in need.