NCC buys riverfront convent next to Gatineau's Jacques-Cartier Park

The National Capital Commission has purchased a riverfront convent adjacent to Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau but will allow the current congregation to remain inside the building for the next three years.

The NCC said in a statement that it will hold public consultations to "develop a plan" for the use of the60,000-square-foot building at 210 Laurier Ave., which is locatedon a nine-hectareparcel of land along the Ottawa River next to the NCC-owned park.

NCC CEO MarkKristmansonsaid in a statement that the "acquisition completes almost a century of planning by the NCC, and its progression toward allowing continuous public access to the Ottawa River shoreline."

The Congrgation des Servantes de Jsus-Mariesold the convent for an undisclosed price that was based on the fair market value of the property, as established by an independent appraiser," the NCC said.

The convent, built in 1911, is not classified as a heritage building. It has 80 rooms. Its chapel was built in 1926.