Sharing a side of Carden Street with the new Guelph City Hall and the classic old city hall building, Guelph’s old-made-new-again train station has a certain stark utility to its architecture.
Nevertheless, officials said Wednesday that Guelph Central Station has long served as a vital transportation hub in the community, and will continue to do so well into the future now that its $2.1 million renovation is complete.
Those renovations were done on time and on budget, Scott Stewart, City of Guelph deputy CAO told the morning gathering on hand for a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The occasion celebrated work that preserved the red brick building’s heritage features, while markedly improving the accessibility and functionality of the station. It serves as the hub and ticket centre for Guelph Transit, Metrolinx, GO Transit, VIA Rail, and Greyhound Canada.
Stewart said the long and important history of the building has effectively been preserved with the revitalization. The building now offers enhanced functionality for customers, and a place for Guelph Transit workers to recharge in a comfortable space. The building’s heritage elements, he added, have been brought back to life.
Refurbishing and enhancing a heritage building, Stewart added, takes more time than a conventional building, and he thanked commuters for their patience as the work progressed. He also thanked city staff for doing the job right at every stage in the process.
Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie said as a transportation hub, Guelph Central Station plays a key role in Guelph being a top place in Canada to invest in real estate and live.
City councillor Leanne Piper serves on the Guelph Historical Society committee, and previously on the Heritage Guelph committee, and is considered the heritage expert on city council. She said Guelph founder John Galt envisioned a Market Square that served as a community hub, the center of governance, and a railroad transportation corridor. That vision was realized in 1856 and continues to this day.
Guelph Central Station, she said, is a national designated heritage site, and its Romanesque style, Italianate tower, porte-cochere entrance, and original tiled floor are among its many unique features. The building was constructed by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1911. It was purchased by the Canadian National Railway in 1922, and acquired by the City of Guelph in 2013.
