Trinity United Church being transformed into live music venue

The Community Arts Council (CAC) of Prince George & District and Trinity United Church have been working over the summer on initial plans to redevelop Trinity Downtown (formerly Knox United Church) in downtown Prince George into a new live music and events venue.

The church is the oldest Protestant church in PG, and Trinity United has already started making some changes to the front stage area to increase engagement, increase stage space, and improve sightlines.

“The need for a mid-sized music and event venue located in the downtown core was strongly identified during the early planning stages for our new Creative Hub”, said Sean Farrell, CAC Executive Director.

Even with these changes, the CAC and Trinity United are planning to continue work around renovations and upgrades to create an affordable space for the PG and surrounding area performing arts community.

“And with the pressing need for new arts spaces being continuously and vocally expressed, especially in the last six months, we believe that we are offering a unique partnership and opportunity to revitalize a much-beloved heritage space into a first-class venue that can serve a wide range of emerging and professional performers,” he added.

The CAC has applied for funding to the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund, a program offered by the Canadian Ministry of Heritage, to assist with the development of a planning project for revitalizing the space, which will include a review of design, engineering, and architectural options.

The funds would also be used for programming streams, conceptual plans for redesign, capital improvement budgets, and management structures.

Meanwhile, both the CAC and the church are working to include recording, green screen production, and live streaming technology on site.

“This is an opportunity to animate the space and renew our commitment to downtown Prince George while strengthening and expanding our partnerships in the community,” said Rev. Dr. Bob K Fillier.