Newmarket’s heritage committee wants to see Postmark Hotel recognized with a top provincial award for heritage conservation.
The municipal heritage advisory committee voted to put forward the hotel for the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Awards, given annually to recognize achievements in heritage conservation. The committee agreed to work on a nomination for the Postmark Hotel, the site of Newmarket’s historic post office.
Chair Elaine Adam said it is a positive proposition for the building once slated to become a condominium development.
“The controversy over what it might have become and the years worrying, it was really exciting (when) it was announced this was going to become a boutique hotel, and they were going to maintain the structure of the building,” Adam said. “They weren’t going to be building up or building down. The impact for Main Street itself and the heritage district is going to be wonderful.”
The municipality was supportive of the Postmark Hotel, as the redevelopment paid tribute to the history of the building and incorporated the post office into its decor and features.
Before then, developer Forrest Group planned to turn it into residential development, including a seven-storey residential condo tower. Town council rejected the original proposal and many residents worked to protest the concept. The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario even recognized locals Mabel Davis and Gordon Prentice with an award in 2022 for spearheading the citizen protest against the project.
Committee member Pamela Vega, who brought the matter forward, said she felt the hotel meets the award criteria well.
“It’s been a really long project in the making, and it’s finally completed and I think a lot of people are very excited about it,” Vega said.
Those criteria include the project being a contribution to natural or cultural heritage conservation and demonstrating leadership, commitment and creativity, Vega said.
The juried awards administered by the Ontario Heritage Trust are presented in February.
