Last year's restoration of the Kensington Prairie Community Centre in South Surrey has netted the city the 2012 Heritage BC Award for Outstanding Achievement. The award is the highest honour given out by Heritage BC and recognizes the work done by the city to preserve what used to be the Kensington Prairie Elementary.

"By preserving and repurposing Kensington Elementary school, we took great care in honouring the past while creating a unique and holistic community centre to serve the needs of the growing neighbourhood," said Mayor Dianne Watts in a release.

The building is one of 54 protected heritage sites in Surrey and served as a school from 1914 until its closure in 2006. Restoration work on the building began in subsequent years and was completed in September 2011. Since that time, the building has found new purpose as a community centre playing host to a variety of services such as a daycare, summer day camps and heritage programming.

While the building had undergone several renovations since first being built, the latest work restored much of the building's character elements, including sash windows, trim boards and the original colour scheme. Additionally, an original wall sign with the school's name on the building's north façade was restored back to its former glory.

Restoration was completed by Taylor Kurtz Architecture + Design Inc.

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