Historic Paisley, Ont. inn to be replicated into housing
The historic Paisley Inn is now a pile of rubble.
The once proud structure that was first built by the co-founder of Paisley back in 1851 was taken down in a matter of days to make way for a new housing development.
“It’s an historic building that was tired and needed to be replaced. We’re happy with the group that’s come together to replace the Inn. The vision they have has us all very excited,” says Arran-Elderslie Mayor Steve Hammell.
That vision will see the former tavern turned into a four-floor building featuring 40 condominiums with retail shops on the main floor. The developers say from the outside, it will look a lot like the old Inn.
“We’ll be replicating the original inn as closely as we can to the original from the front and side. It’ll have commercial space on the main floor, but it will be residences everywhere else. The idea is to keep the charm of Paisley going, so it will look the same as the old building,” says Paisley Inn’s developer, Garrett Eggink.
The Paisley Inn’s heyday was in the ‘60s and ‘70s with people coming from far and wide for the famous tavern’s food and hospitality, but since closing in the ‘80s it’s sat largely vacant.
“It was a popular spot. We’re just happy to see it have new life, right in the centre of our village,” says Hammell.
The developers say they’ve heard loud and clear, the significance of the inn’s history, and will do their best to capture that in the new condo development, especially at a time when housing comes at a premium in and around Bruce County.
“As we’ve gotten to know the people of Paisley, we’ve gotten a great understanding of what this property meant to everyone. It does not go unnoticed by us. We’ve been careful with it and we intend to keep that charm going,” says Eggink.
Eggink expects the Paisley Inn condo development to take up to two years to complete and local realtors say they’ve already had people interested in being the first tenants in the new building.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.