It was built in 1914, and after a school board vote Monday night, Vic High will remain a historic landmark for years to come.
The Greater Victoria School District voted unanimously Monday night on a motion to upgrade the existing school, which is considered to be western Canada's oldest public high school.
In addition to seismically upgrading the building, new space will be added for 1,000 students as well as a community learning centre.
The cost for the project is pegged at $73.3-million, which is $5-million more than building an entirely new school.
"Between a new build and the ability to not only preserve the heritage of the building, but also to actually enhance the space, be able to provide forward-thinking education and have a neighbourhood learning centre, I believe that the $5-million cost differential is something that can be overcome," Greater Victoria School District Supt. Piet Langstraat said at the meeting.
The motion will now be passed on to B.C.'s education ministry.
A decision on whether it will fund the project could come down by the middle of October.
