Art Gallery of Sudbury closes temporarily on advice from engineering firm

Laurentian University responds to art gallery closure Laurentian University acknowledges the temporary closure of the Bell Mansion & suggests a temporary solution for the Art Gallery of Sudbury.

The Art Gallery of Sudbury (AGS) is closed following a recent safety inspection of the building, officials said this week, and a temporary move to Laurentian University (LU) is a possibility.

“We regret to convey that the Art Gallery of Sudbury is currently closed,” the gallery said on its social media page Thursday.

Owned by LU, the school had an engineering firm inspect the historic Bell Mansion, which houses the gallery.

LU shared the results of the inspection with the gallery Oct. 6, which recommended limiting access to the building. Issues emerged invovling the chimney on the west side of the buidling and the exterior south stone wall.

“The letter stated it was necessary to limit access to specific areas of the building, out of an abundance of caution due to observed conditions,” the AGS said.

“The gallery immediately complied with the letter of recommendation and has been closed since that time. Laurentian University has erected barriers around the specific areas and has hired experts to further investigate the state of the building.”

Dr. Sheila Embleton, LU's interim president, told CTV News in an email that the university is working closely with the AGS on the issue.

"The Art Gallery of Sudbury and the Bell Mansion are important fixtures of the Greater Sudbury community and they are also important to Laurentian," Embleton said.

"We have hired an engineering firm to evaluate the structural repairs and to understand what will be required in order to safely reopen the building. We are also evaluating options to temporarily house the art gallery on campus if it could be viable. We do not anticipate this closure having an impact on our current agreement with the art gallery."

The Bell Mansion has housed the gallery since 1967, but the AGS has been looking for a new home for a number of years. Plans to build a new gallery on Shaughnessy Street in Sudbury fell victim to the lengthy battle over the Kingsway Entertainment District last year.

More recently, the city has been moving ahead with a plan to move the gallery and the library into Tom Davies Square, but that plan is years from completion.

In the meantime, the AGS is looking into alternate locations for its weeknight and weekend art education programs.

Updates will be provided on the gallery website when available.