Peter Strahl often passes by the heritage Union Hotel building while driving a retirement home bus in Newmarket.
Watching as construction unfolded, Strahl said he has wondered why it is taking so much time and why the work has been so extensive that most of the walls of the building appear to have been removed.
“It’s taking so long,” he said. “I hope it turns into something nice. I hope it looks attractive when they’re all done.”
The ongoing construction at the historic hotel has garnered more social media questions and concerns from Newmarket residents in recent weeks. Arten Development Group is turning it into an office space, with a heritage permit in place to restore the historical aspects of the structure.
The Union Hotel at the corner of Main Street and Davis Drive is a circa-1882 building that York Region sold in 2019. But the work — including removing the brick veneer of the building — has garnered questions about how much history is getting lost.
“I was so excited to hear these historical buildings were being restored and saved, and now I realize there is literally nothing left of them. Just a sad shell,” one local commented on Facebook.
NewmarketToday did not receive a reply to a request for comment from Arten before publication time.
But the municipality indicated it is progressing according to the plan of the granted heritage permit. Manager of planning services Adrian Cammaert said though several elements are specified as needing preservation, the permit was a bit different given the uncertainty on how much was restorable.
“While all of it is encouraged to be salvaged and retained, it was acknowledged from the outset there’s going to be a lot of unknowns with a building like this,” he said. “This was assessing as you go and seeing what you have to work with as you peel back the layers of, basically, a time capsule.”
Still, the permit requires that aspects like the second-storey rough iron railing and bricks specific to its original 431 Davis Dr. location must be preserved, and Cammaert said they would be.
But he said he understands the concern about how much is getting removed.
“Yes, it’s unfortunate. A lot of it wasn’t there to be retained and restored, but replacements will still look like what was originally there," he said. "From a heritage standpoint, it’s never the first ideal situation, but where the ideal situation — being straight restoration — is impossible, this is what we are able to do.”
Heritage Newmarket advisory committee chair Billie Locke said it is proceeding in a way they expected.
“Important features are being maintained and restored,” she said. “I really think it’s important this kind of commitment be lived up to.”
The hope is that the building can serve as a good entry into the old downtown core, Locke said. She said efforts to preserve and reuse old buildings in Newmarket are important and maintain the town's character, something people value.
“You don’t want to tear down what makes people want to live here,” she said.
“I hope it becomes a very nice-looking building,” Strahl said. “That it just revitalizes Davis Drive, which I think needs a little help.”
