The Basilica Recreation Centre - Before and After ----------------------------------------------------------- If there were Catholics who suspected arson based on sectarian ill will, their suspicions were, quite literally, extinguished while the fire was still burning. Even while the flames were leaping out of the church, wealthy Protestant businessmen such as Mr. W.B. Prowse were writing out exceedingly generous cheques by the fire's fearsome glow. In Prowse's case the cheque was for $5,000. His magnanimity was surpassed the next day by Mr. Frank Heartz , who offered $6,000. Others, such as Mr. R.H. Sterns , offered $1,000. These were remarkably large sums of money for 1913, and the fact that they came from Protestants did much to foster inter-denominational solidarity. It is difficult today to understand the extraordinary determination involved in rebuilding St. Dunstan's in the years 1913-1919. In the first place, the country was mired in the First World War. Further, Bishop O'Leary consented not merely to rebuilding St. Dunstan's , he chose to make it larger, adding a two story sacristy at the back, and to reconstruct it on a much more magnificent scale than the previous church. He also chose to implement a vast and costly array of fire safety measures to ensure that St. Dunstan's would never come crashing down again. And he did this, knowing that there would be a cacophony of complaints about the cost. When it was completed in 1919, Bishop O'Leary , then only 39, was present to open the largest and most beautiful cathedral in the Maritime Provinces. In 1990, 11 years after its destruction by fire and 71 years after its reconstruction, Bishop O'Leary 's work was recognized on a national level when St. Dunstan's was declared a National Historic Site by Parks Canada .