Investment for Historic Site on the Lunenburg Waterfront
Click here for information on a Request for Information Opportunity related to Zwicker.
The province is investing $400,000 into one of Lunenburg’s best known waterfront buildings.
The capital funding will support required building stabilization and roofing work at the historic Zwicker and Co. Ltd. building located on Bluenose Drive. The three-storey, 12,000-square-foot, wood-frame building has elements dating back to the late 1800s and is a prominent building on Lunenburg’s working waterfront, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site.
In addition, Waterfront Development is investing $200,000 to enhance the site for a growing recreational local and visiting boating market. These enhancements include showers, accessible washrooms, laundry facilities, wharf power and water, and a visitor reception area.
“Investing in the Zwicker building complex on Lunenburg’s iconic waterfront will provide much needed facilities for boaters and tourists visiting Lunenburg,” said Lunenburg MLA Suzanne Lohnes-Croft, on behalf of Business Minister Geoff MacLellan. “These enhancements will keep this historic town a top tourism destination and provide more commercial opportunities.”
Construction is expected to be complete in time for the summer boating season.
“Over the past few years, we have invested in improved public infrastructure at the Zwicker wharf which has contributed to increasing visitation to Lunenburg by sea,” said Jennifer Angel, acting president and CEO, Waterfront Development. “These additional improvements will dramatically enhance the visitor experience, by land and sea, and strengthen Lunenburg’s working waterfront, an important asset in our ocean economy.”
The waterfront has seen yearly growth in the visiting superyacht market, and strong community interest in the free daytime berthing program.
“The strategic investments Waterfront Development has made in Lunenburg have paid dividends as the town continues to develop as a coastal destination for both leisure activity and marine related industry. I am excited to see this latest investment take shape,” said Mayor Rachel Bailey, Town of Lunenburg. “Putting the Zwicker site back to work will make Lunenburg even more attractive as a place to visit and to do business. We’re pleased to work with our partners toward a shared vision for the future.”
Founded in 1789, Zwicker and Company is often considered the granddaddy of Lunenburg’s waterfront businesses, running continuously for nearly 200 years, with generation after generation of Zwickers at the helm.
Waterfront Development owns and manages a portfolio of properties on the Lunenburg waterfront on behalf of the province, including the Zwicker site. A call for expressions of interest for tenants at the Zwicker building is expected this winter. Working closely with the Town of Lunenburg and the Lunenburg Waterfront Association, the goal is to continue to redevelop and revitalize the working waterfront.