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Posted Nov 28, 2023, 2:05 AM
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Ham-burgher
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Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Hamilton
Posts: 6,527
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This will be terrific. This building has sat unused for far too long.
I've yet to see what's been done at the Niagara Power Station but I will. The attractions above the falls are something I've come to appreciate more and more. Once the Ontario Power Co. Station is reimagined these old buildings will make for quite the trifecta!
Company to transform Toronto Power Generating Station in Niagara Falls
Pearle Hospitality will preserve heritage building and transform it into a globally significant visitor experience, says Niagara Parks
https://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/ne...75b611674.html
Ray Spiteri
The Niagara Review
Monday, November 27, 2023
An Ancaster-based company has been picked to restore the 117-year-old former Toronto Power Generating Station in Niagara Falls.
Niagara Parks on Monday announced the conclusion of a three-stage public procurement process, with Pearle Hospitality being named the successful proponent.
The “thoughtful” proposal submitted by Pearle outlines a “transformational” private sector investment of more than $200 million to restore the national historic site along Niagara River Parkway, while creating an “unparalleled visitor experience befitting of its location overlooking the iconic Canadian Horseshoe Falls,” said a news release.
Pearle brings extensive experience in re-imagining heritage properties across the province, such as Elora Mill Hotel and Spa, Cambridge Mill and Ancaster Mill, said the release.
A letter of intent has been signed between Niagara Parks and Pearle, starting a 120-day “due diligence” phase. It will include consultations, development of heritage studies, a cultural heritage evaluation report and strategic conservation plan, environmental and archeology assessments and contract negotiations.
The project follows in the footsteps of the successful nearby redevelopment of the former Canadian Niagara Power Generating Station into Niagara Parks Power Station.
“It’s very much a logical next step, certainly having the success of the Niagara Parks Power Station under our collective belts — we know what we’ve got to do,” David Adames, chief executive officer of Niagara Parks, said in an interview.
“Toronto Power is in worse shape than the other power station was when we took it over to do the adaptive reuse. Toronto Power ceased operations in 1974, so next year will be 50 years since it’s been active, and it transferred over to Niagara Parks in 2007 ... It was time to move forward.
“There’s going to be different visitor experiences in the Toronto Power redevelopment. It includes a five-star boutique hotel. It will have a variety of dining options,” said Adames.
“It will also offer a 280-seat theatre for cultural performances. It will have a museum dedicated to architecture. It will have a spa … and, of course, the view right on the upper Niagara River, so it’s literally right on the river, versus Niagara Parks Power Station, which is set back a little bit.”
Opened in 1906 to supply hydroelectric power to the Toronto market, the palatial powerhouse was designed in an Italian Renaissance architectural style by architect E.J. Lennox, who was also responsible for Toronto City Hall and Casa Loma, and who will be recognized in the museum. It was the first wholly Canadian-owned hydro-electric facility at Niagara Falls.
Niagara Parks will negotiate a lease agreement with Pearle, like other agreements the agency holds with tenants such as Niagara City Cruises and Niagara Adventure Excursions.
“Toronto Power is a globally recognized landmark of Canadian architecture and industry that has stood as a central feature of the Niagara Falls landscape for over a century,” Niagara Parks chair April Jeffs said in the release.
“Overseeing its preservation and transformation from a dormant heritage building of national significance into a brand-new, one-of-a-kind visitor experience for the benefit of local residents and tourists alike is the embodiment of what Niagara Parks stands for as an organization.”
Brian McMullan, director of business development and spokesperson for Pearle, said the firm was founded with a “vision to create landmark, state-of-the-art developments.”
“As we work to redevelop the Toronto Power site, we’re looking forward to applying the best practices we’ve learned through our history of building, redeveloping and operating distinctive and world-class destination properties across Ontario,” he said.
Meanwhile, with Niagara Parks Power Station operating as an award-winning attraction and with a proponent selected to similarly transform Toronto Power, Adames said Niagara Parks will turn its attention to its third and final decomissioned power-generating site, Ontario Power Company Generating Station, which was also transferred to the agency in 2007.
Also opened in 1906 and remaining operational until 1999, Ontario Power, which is identified as a provincially significant heritage building, was built into the rock face at the base of the Niagara River gorge, directly across from the American Falls and 250 metres downstream from Horseshoe Falls.
It contributed to industrial and community development in both Canada and United States that led to the establishment of international protocols for the sharing of water rights between the two countries.
Other links:
https://www.niagaraparks.com/media-r...ating-station/
This one has a video and images from the news story, as well as more information about the project:
https://www.niagaraparks.com/torontopower
• Video Link
Last edited by ScreamingViking; Nov 28, 2023 at 2:27 AM.
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