Phillips Foundation donates $1.5 million for U of R’s Darke Hall

Darke Hall’s renovation project received a significant boost thanks to a donation from the Phillips Foundation.

The Ann and Roger Phillips Foundation committed $1.5 million to the University of Regina (U of R) on Monday.

Five hundred thousand dollars of the donation works as a matching pledge, meaning however much else is raised through the Saving Darke Hall campaign, will be matched up to $500,000 by the Phillips Foundation.

“I think it means more to the community and the history and the story behind this building,” U of R president Vianne Timmons said.

“It’s a real investment, a real entrepreneurial centre, it helps the community and it helps the university.”

Located at the U of R’s College Avenue Campus, Darke Hall was built in 1929, but closed for renovations in 2016 as part of the College Avenue Campus Renewal Project.

The $12.25-million project has seen $11.64 million raised to this point, including the donation made by the Phillips Foundation.

Darke Hall has always been a cultural hub for performance in the province, something Ann Phillips would like to see continue when construction is completed.

“I’m looking forward to a space that works, a space that works for musical groups or theatrical groups. Of course, it’s going to look fabulous no matter what,” Phillips said.

“To have the opportunity to be part of the rebirth of Drake Hall as a home for the arts in Regina is a privilege.”

Phillips and her late husband Roger were well known for their community involvement, including her role in the growth of Opera Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Book Awards.

Darke Hall is scheduled to reopen by 2021 as a 500-seat, fully-accessible facility.