We have recently completed a project to restore the facade of a century and a half-old building on the south side of Broadway, the main street in Orangeville. Our client was the current owner of the building originally built and operated as the Queen's Hotel. We began this project in 2011 and completed it in January of this year and while this project was not what we would term 'large', it definitely captured our interest. The reason for this was that it involved 're-claiming' a piece of Orangeville history. The original hotel was constructed in the early 1870's and has undergone many changes in its lifetime. We always love to 'breathe new life' into an old, tired structure and this building was no exception.
If you have ever been to Orangeville you most likely would have passed by the historic downtown area which is defined by the charming shops and landmarks along Broadway. We had such a great time delving back in history as we undertook our research in preparation for the conceptual work related to this project. With the help of Steve Brown the archivist at the Dufferin County Museum & Archives we were able to unearth some rarely seen photos along with enough chronological information to piece together the history of our client's building. Without making this sound too much like a history lesson, here are some images and facts related to the life of our building that you might find fascinating.
(Photos courtesy of Dufferin County Museum & Archives)
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| Queen's Hotel ca. 1900 with arched carriage passage (already filled in) and balconies above main entrance. Note: The original unpainted brick facade. |
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| Queen's Hotel ca. 1910 showing whitewashed facade. |
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| Queen's Hotel ca. 1922 showing 2nd floor balcony removed and painted window detailing |
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| Queen's Hotel ca. 1942 showing 2nd floor balcony reinstated. Note: painted window and cornice details. |
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| In the late 1960's it was renamed the Chappel Building (named after its owner) and was converted to commercial units on the main floor, offices on the second and third floors. Later the third floor was converted to apartment units. As evident in the above photo taken in 2010 (before the facelift), the building facade had deteriorated and lacked any of its original splendour. |
We spent a lot of time exploring options to restore the original brick facade but subsequent renovations which involved infilling many of the beautiful arched windows using unmatched brick, combined with one hundred years of whitewash and paint made this option unfeasible. After exploring different facing options and constrained with a limited overall budget, an acrylic stucco facade was selected to give us the flexibility to re-introduce some of the fine detailing which once existed. Included in our budget were exterior and interior upgrades to the storefronts and entrances and the installation of new windows and signage. Due to the commercial usage of the ground floor level it was futile to attempt to re-introduce the arched windows which originally existed as they would not be suitable for the commercial tenants. It was agreed that detailing of this level would be reflective of the already upgraded storefronts located along the north side of Broadway. The balconies which provided character and relief to the otherwise historically flat facade would also be re-introduced, albeit shallower and purely cosmetic in nature. The fine arched detail of the original carriage tunnel at the east end would also be taken into consideration in our design.
Having gathered all our research it was time to put it into action. We decided to produce three concepts for presentation to the Heritage Committee in order to provide options showing the building at various stages in its history as well as one option which would be more in keeping with the adjacent brick building to the west.
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| Concept 1 - Awning Rendering (based on a photograph in the early 1900's showing awnings present on the buildings facade). |
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| Concept 2 - Arch Rendering (based on the photograph ca. 1942 showing the painted arched windows and cornice). |
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| Concept 3 - Banding Rendering (based on brick banding details found on adjacent buildings). |
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| Concept 4 - Final Arch Rendering (based on comments received from the Heritage Committee incorporating details found within the other initial concepts). |
The concepts were generally well received and the Heritage Committee made a number of suggestions based on the three initial designs. Concept Two was chosen as a basis for moving forward. It provided an attractive colour scheme and reflected our attempt at re-introducing the arched window detailing evident in the photo taken in the early 1940's. An additional band was provided below the cornice in order to ease the transition from acrylic stucco to the existing brick detailing directly above. It was agreed that the carriage tunnel would be featured by incorporating a glazed, arched window at its original location.
After obtaining the necessary approvals, construction commenced in September of 2012. The work was undertaken by Millcreek Builders. Bob Marfleet of Millcreek Builders is the type of contractor who pays close attention to construction details and the quality of the finished product. These traits would prove to be important on a project such as this one. While weather was a continual factor work proceeded and was completed in January of 2013. Our client was extremely pleased with the results and appreciated that the work was completed within the established construction budget. The south side of Broadway has received a much needed upgrade which also serves as a attractive reminder of Orangeville's rich heritage.
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| The finished facade for 162 Broadway, Orangeville |
