Historic Barrhaven school house up for sale

It's one of the only heritage buildings left in Barrhaven aside from a few old farmhouses

The old Jockvale School House has stood off Strandherd Drive as a beacon of Barrhaven’s past for over a century. Irish Catholic immigrants constructed an original log building there in 1841 and rebuilt it as the existing brick structure in 1906.  

The City has been its recent owner, but after sitting vacant for the last few years, it’s now up for sale. 

“To effectively revitalize the site, the schoolhouse is going to be listed for sale, with weighted consideration for bidders with intentions for community-oriented use - offers must detail the proposed use of the property,” wrote Barrhaven West Coun. David Hill on Facebook. 

As a requirement for future sales, the exterior must retain its appearance due to heritage designation. However, the inside could have investments and be modified. 

The asking price is $970,000 plus HST. 

On Facebook, Hill noted the schoolhouse is one of the only heritage buildings left in Barrhaven aside from a few old farmhouses. 

An old photo of the Jockvale school house.

Over the years, it has had many purposes. It was built as a single-room schoolhouse that taught children in eight grades. The school closed in 1965 but continued to be used for various activities and events by the community. During the Second World War, it was a distribution center for ration books, and following that, the Barrhaven Lions Club held frequent meetings, celebrations and events. To this day, their friendship arch is proudly on display.  Before establishing the South Nepean Muslim Community (SNMC) mosque, our local Muslim community used the schoolhouse to host local events and as a safe space for prayer and worship.