The exceptionally adorned Petrie Building on Wyndham Street in downtown Guelph is among the winners in the National Trust of Canada’s This Place Matters crowdfunding competition.
The building is considered a national treasure, with its stamped metal clad façade crowning a slender structure.
For decades, the Petrie, a highly unique piece of over 135-year-old architecture, was left in a state of neglect, its upper floors dilapidated and squalid. It was stamped as endangered by Heritage Canada and put on the agency's Ten Most Endangered Places list a few years ago.
The building was eventually purchased for an undisclosed amount by Tyrcathlen Partners, a company known for rejuvenating heritage structures. Rejuvenation of the Petrie is well underway, with retail businesses now occupying the main level.
Now, the Top Off the Petrie! campaign has been awarded a first place regional prize in This Place Matters’ small projects category. The prize comes with a cash award of $15,000. In addition to the $23,000 raised through the National Trust's crowdfunding platform, that makes $38,000 raised through crowd-sourcing.
The contest featured 17 large projects and 9 small projects from communities across Canada, each raising money to save, transform or upgrade historic buildings and sites. All of the winners were announced on Monday. See the winners at thisplacematters.ca.
The Architectural Conservancy of Ontario (ACO) lead the crowdfunding campaign for the Petrie, which has now collected 80 per cent of its target. Donations can still be made at petriebuilding.ca. An early fall campaign wrap-up event is being planned.
Petrie Building was completed in 1882, and is now Canada’s last remaining example of a pre-1890 machine stamped metal clad building. The restoration of its decorative façade is continuing. It needs a great deal of expensive work to bring it back to life.
