Nearly two years after voting to demolish the old Land Registry Office and Archives Building before overturning that resolution after former Stratford Mayor Dan Mathieson intervened, Perth County Council created a small theatre and event area in the empty building.
The City of Stratford held a town hall Monday to give citizens a chance to be informed about the proposed zoning amendment, which involves the county creating a theater, a theater classroom, a performing arts studio, a studio, a theater retail store and a theater restaurant. a special occasion area with a maximum capacity of up to 80 people at 24 St. John’s Street. Andrew.
“We are working with a small theater company for the possible long-term reuse of 24 St. Andrew,” county public works director John McClelland told the Beacon Herald ahead of Monday’s public meeting. “There are a number of steps that we want to take before we can verify the project, and one of the milestones is this rezoning amendment. “
In December 2021, when the county council voted first to reclaim surplus 1910 construction to the county’s wishes and demolish it, McClelland told the council that the building, vacant since 2014, had serious mold and asbestos problems. He presented the council with two options: demolish it with a charge of $150,000 to $200,000, or separate the campus assets from the Perth County Courthouse and sell it, which would result in an estimated immediate charge to the county of between $12,650 and $16,650.
After the demolition was announced, Perth County Executive Jim Aitcheson agreed to meet with Mathieson to discuss features to repurpose the building and save it from demolition. After that meeting, the county opted not to apply for a demolition permit from the city, McClelland said.
“We looked at other tactics to repurpose the building, so this was an opportunity that presented itself,” McClelland said. “Of course, if it comes to fruition and everything goes well, I can see it as a victory on many other fronts. We are enthusiastic but cautiously optimistic.
If the city approves the rezoning, which McClelland said could happen as early as the new year, he expects the county to announce its yet-to-be-announced partner theater company and begin repurposing the space.
Built at a total cost of $10,168 in 1910, the construction was once described as “the fireproof castle for the preservation of public records” because, at one time, only the basement bathrooms, floor, and baseboards were made of wood. Everything else, the interior construction can be made of concrete or clad in metal.
The county archives occupied the building from 1981 to 2014, but it was also used as a workplace for obtaining driver’s licenses and as a workplace for the county’s public fitness unit at other times in its existence.
Although the building is located in the Stratford Heritage Conservation District, it is not designated as a heritage building.
gsimmons@postmedia. com
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