McCall Funeral and Cremation Service has announced the opening of its Saanich-based state-of-the-art funeral services and celebration of life facility.

The 15,000 square foot McCall Gardens and Sequoia Centre on Falaise Drive ushers in a new era for a company nearing a celebration of its own.

“After almost a century at Johnson and Vancouver streets and some 50 years in our 1960’s-era building, we knew that we needed a new facility, and the options were to invest a lot of money into our downtown space or look at redeveloping our Sequoia Gardens Memorial funeral home in Saanich,” said McCall’s Vice President, Trevor McCall.

Following an extensive community engagement and market research process, the company recognized Victorians desired end-of-life celebrations in modern spaces that also embraced nature.

“What the community wanted was an uplifting facility, not a facility that feels like a funeral home, and we learned through our research that people wanted to connect with nature, have ample natural light, and modern technological amenities,” McCall said, adding that overwhelming feedback for a funeral home set within a natural environment quickly established the company’s Saanich location as the preferred expansion site.

Designed by Peter de Hoog of de Hoog Kierulf Architects, the west coast architecture draws in ample natural light while high ceilings and angled surfaces form inviting spaces. Interiors designed by Sandy Nygaard create function and warmth without taking away from each room’s architectural features.

McCall Gardens’ general manager, Craig McCall Williams, says that with the larger, brighter rooms came the opportunity to add seating capacity and repurpose floorplates into sectional areas, allowing for functional diversity at the request of families.

“In the main centre we can accommodate some 300 seats plus additional standing capacity, and we also had designers incorporate flexible spaces within rooms to provide families with a greater choice of service options,” McCall Williams said.

McCall vacated its downtown facility in the 900-block of Johnson Street earlier this year following a 2014 sale of its downtown properties to Victoria-based Cox Developments. Cox is currently excavating the McCall parking lot with plans to start construction on two highrise residential towers (dubbed 989) by early next year. The Di-Castri-designed chapel will be repurposed into 989’s condo sales centre this fall.

A formal open house at McCall Gardens is planned for later this year to give members of the public an opportunity to experience first hand the new facility and learn more about the company’s services.

“One of our goals with McCall Gardens was to build a space that could accommodate families that wanted a traditional funeral service, whether Catholic, Anglican, or another religion, and families that didn't want a traditional funeral but wanted a celebration of life,” McCall said.

“I think we’ve achieved that. We’re so honoured to be able to present a space that will be meaningful to so many Victorians celebrating the lives of their friends and family.” C

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