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Carleton University has finalized a deal to purchase the Dominion-Chalmers United Church, which it intends to turn into a “multi-purpose downtown performance space.”

The deal was approved by the university’s board of governors on Thursday. The dollar amount of the purchase has not yet been disclosed, though the building was appraised at between $7 million and $8 million and the provincial Ministry of Infrastructure chipped in $5 million.

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The church will fill a badly needed vacancy for the university, which lacks space for larger audiences. There is nowhere on campus that can hold an audience larger than 400 people. The church has a seating capacity of about 1,000.

Originally called Chalmers Presbyterian Church, it was built in 1912. In 1962, its congregation amalgamated with Dominion United Church after that church burned down.

The university says it intends to maintain the heritage character of the church, though it will renovate its interior to include “high-quality recording spaces and make the facility more attractive as a rental venue for community and arts groups.”