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Historic Summerside
Daily Tours
and Events
Facility Rentals
Shop Wyatt
Become a Member
Fundraisers
Exhibitions
Contact Us
Our Properties
Historic Summerside
History
Miss Wanda Wyatt had a profound desire to “settle on” how her home at 85 Spring Street and her grandparents’ home at 205 Prince Street would be used after her death. Her vision was that the Lefurgey house would continue as a local arts and cultural centre and that the Wyatt house would be preserved as a museum.
She had acquired the former Lefurgey property in 1966, thus “bringing it back into the family”, and in the same year established the Wyatt Foundation to manage her philanthropic interests, which were varied. The foundation provided financial support for the arts and the on-going maintenance of the Prince Street house, which later became known as the Lefurgey Cultural Centre. She recruited four trusted friends and long-time advisors to form the management board of the foundation. These were Alan Scales, Q.C., Michael Schurman, Bill Brennan, and the Hon. Justice Alex. B. Campbell.
When Miss Wyatt passed away in January 1998, discussions soon commenced between the Foundation and the City of Summerside regarding how her wishes might be fulfilled. The Foundation had recently acquired a neighbouring property at 75 Spring Street, the former home of J. Watson MacNaught, a local lawyer and politician who had served in Prime Minister Lester Pearson’s Cabinet.
In the summer of 1999, the City commissioned a study and business plan to determine the development of the properties as part of its heritage initiative. As a result of the report written by consultant Allan Savidant, FCGA, an agreement was reached to transfer the three properties to the City of Summerside. The contents of the Wyatt and Lefurgey houses were included in the arrangement. A capital renovation and start-up payment, together with an endowment trust fund, was conservatively estimated at $2.2 million. An annual operation subsidy would be drawn from the trust fund.
The City began to actively manage the properties in January 2000. The original staff consisted of Allan Rankin as Director, Susan Rodgers as Curator, Faye Pound as Archivist, and Linda Andry as cataloguer. The restoration of the houses began and the MacNaught History Centre and Archives was opened in October of 2000, followed by the Wyatt House Museum on 11 June 2001. The Lefurgey House continues in its role as an arts and cultural centre with the Wyatt Heritage Properties staff actively pursuing sources of funding to begin a major renovation project on this building in 2003.
Wyatt Heritage Properties
phone (902)432-1296 | fax (902)432-1328
Copyright Wyatt Heritage Properties, City of Summerside 2007
Miss Wanda Wyatt had a profound desire to “settle on” how her home at 85 Spring Street and her grandparents’ home at 205 Prince Street would be used after her death. Her vision was that the Lefurgey house would continue as a local arts and cultural centre and that the Wyatt house would be preserved as a museum.
She had acquired the former Lefurgey property in 1966, thus “bringing it back into the family”, and in the same year established the Wyatt Foundation to manage her philanthropic interests, which were varied. The foundation provided financial support for the arts and the on-going maintenance of the Prince Street house, which later became known as the Lefurgey Cultural Centre. She recruited four trusted friends and long-time advisors to form the management board of the foundation. These were Alan Scales, Q.C., Michael Schurman, Bill Brennan, and the Hon. Justice Alex. B. Campbell.
When Miss Wyatt passed away in January 1998, discussions soon commenced between the Foundation and the City of Summerside regarding how her wishes might be fulfilled. The Foundation had recently acquired a neighbouring property at 75 Spring Street, the former home of J. Watson MacNaught, a local lawyer and politician who had served in Prime Minister Lester Pearson’s Cabinet.
In the summer of 1999, the City commissioned a study and business plan to determine the development of the properties as part of its heritage initiative. As a result of the report written by consultant Allan Savidant, FCGA, an agreement was reached to transfer the three properties to the City of Summerside. The contents of the Wyatt and Lefurgey houses were included in the arrangement. A capital renovation and start-up payment, together with an endowment trust fund, was conservatively estimated at $2.2 million. An annual operation subsidy would be drawn from the trust fund.
The City began to actively manage the properties in January 2000. The original staff consisted of Allan Rankin as Director, Susan Rodgers as Curator, Faye Pound as Archivist, and Linda Andry as cataloguer. The restoration of the houses began and the MacNaught History Centre and Archives was opened in October of 2000, followed by the Wyatt House Museum on 11 June 2001. The Lefurgey House continues in its role as an arts and cultural centre with the Wyatt Heritage Properties staff actively pursuing sources of funding to begin a major renovation project on this building in 2003.
Wyatt Heritage Properties
phone (902)432-1296 | fax (902)432-1328
Copyright Wyatt Heritage Properties, City of Summerside 2007