The Petrie Building, a 134-year old architectural icon at 15 Wyndham Street North in the heart of downtown Guelph needs a face-lift and the community’s help.
The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario is launching a $100,000 fundraising campaign to aid in reconstruction work to ‘Top off the Petrie.’
In 1882, A.B. Petrie made a bold statement in capping his impressive new drug store with the big, bold mortar and pestle flanked by decorative scrolling and elaborate finials.
This campaign will help restore what many agree is one of the most unique architectural features in downtown Guelph – the iconic very top section of the Petrie Building façade.
For many years, tourists and residents alike commented on the decay of the sculpture in the sky, to the extent it was included in Heritage Canada’s 2014 list of The 10 Most Endangered Buildings.
The building is one of only three pre-1890 stamped metal façades left in Canada. Saving the Petrie Building became a national cause and in March 2015, Tyrcathlen Partners bought the building with the hope of restoring and repurposing it.
Tyrcathlen has been working through interior and exterior restoration since 2015, finding many hidden treasures along the way.
“With the support of the City of Guelph we have been able to re-activate the interior of the building and plan to restore the façade from street level to the roofline,” said Tyrcathlen principal Kirk Roberts in a press release.
“However, the deterioration of the top section is severe and several pieces have fallen off over the past decades. The iconic upper section is at risk of being lost without the support of this ACO led public campaign.”
President of the ACO of Guelph-Wellington, Susan Ratcliffe, is excited to see the renovations happen and is encouraging the community to consider supporting the campaign to revitalize this downtown landmark.
“The unique sculptural elements on the top of the building are iconic to our community,” she said.
“Restoring the pieces that remain and replacing the elements that are missing like the pestle, the scrollwork and the finials will foster community pride in this landmark architectural showpiece.”
President of the Downtown Guelph Business Association (DGBA), Chris Ahlers, agrees the building is of significant importance to the Guelph downtown and is supporting the campaign.
The DGBA has offered to match the first $24,000 in community contributions to the campaign.
“The DGBA applauds the hard work and vision of the ACO to lead this campaign and is pleased to support the effort to restore this significant piece of the downtown’s architectural heritage,” Ahlers said.
“This project will benefit the entire City of Guelph, strengthening our tourism industry and civic pride.”
The ACO is a registered charity and will manage all funds, approve all restoration work, issue tax receipts and co-ordinate the initiative to ‘Top off the Petrie.’
To donate or for more information visit petriebuilding.ca.
