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Restoration planned for Thunder Bay heritage site

It’s hosted country musician Gene Autry, Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker and Queen Elizabeth II. Now the Royal Edward Arms building in downtown Thunder Bay is getting new life following its purchase by a local developer.
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Ahsanul Habib has purchased the Royal Edward Arms building in Thunder Bay and is repurposing it for mixed commercial and residential uses.

It’s hosted country musician Gene Autry, Canadian prime minister John Diefenbaker and Queen Elizabeth II. Now the Royal Edward Arms building in downtown Thunder Bay is getting new life following its purchase by a local developer.

In late January, architect Ahsanul Habib, proprietor of Habib Architects and Habib Enterprises, purchased the building from the city for $500,000 with the intention of renovating it for mixed commercial and residential uses. A former luxury hotel, the Royal Edward Arms had hosted low-income housing since 1985. When the Thunder Bay District Housing Corp. decided not to renew its lease last fall, the city put out a request for proposals seeking interest from potential developers.

“Since this is an historic building, the city had been seeking a buyer who is interested in restoring the building and adding value to the downtown south core,” Joel DePeuter, the city’s manager of realty services, said in a news release. “We are pleased that this agreement has been reached.”

It’s no wonder why. In the last several years, bothered by a trend of demolishing historical structures in favour of new builds, Habib has made it his goal — some might call it a labour of love — to restore heritage buildings in Thunder Bay and repurpose them for modern uses.

“They’re harder to do, but I saw an opportunity to preserve them and save them, and also make a business out of it; it has to make business sense or else it doesn’t work,” Habib said. “You cannot just preserve a building. It has to have a new purpose, it’s got to have a new function and a value, so that allows you to reinvest on that building.”

His portfolio includes a former school that was converted into a five-unit condominium complex and McKellar Hospital, which has now become McKellar Place, a retirement home, among others. He has been acknowledged for his efforts, receiving the 2009 Ontario Heritage Trust Certificate of Achievement, the 2008 Wood WORKS! Northern Ontario Excellence Award, and the 2010 Northern Ontario Business Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Calling the Royal Edward Arms a “landmark building in downtown,” Habib said the structure would likely require minimal work to upgrade it for use.

Constructed in 1929 as a luxury hotel, the Royal Edward Arms had 105 rooms, each with a bathroom, and 21 sample rooms available for day rentals. Other features included a 150-seat dining room, a ballroom, and convention and banquet halls. It closed its doors in the early 1980s before being converted to the 64-room low-income apartment complex.

Structurally, the building is sound, Habib said. Built using slipform construction, concrete was poured into fixed vertical forms that slid up as construction progressed, creating solid concrete walls. Inside and outside forms created cavities, the insides of which were fortified with reinforced steel.

Renovations done as part of the $2.4-million retrofit in 1985 were done correctly, with proper electrical, ventilation and mechanical changes, Habib said. But after 20 years of heavy use, the building needs an upgrade.

“The structure is good; the services are good,” he said. “It just needs to be refreshed and modernized.”

On the main floor, Habib wants to upgrade the lobby, kitchen and hall areas, as well as install a bar and restaurant. On the lower level, he envisions adding a swimming pool and fitness centre. Plans for the upper level are still fluid. Habib said a market study currently underway will help determine if the accommodations will become extended stay hotel rooms or high-end apartments.

To connect the building to its storied past, Habib plans to recreate one room in a throwback fashion, to the style that was in vogue when Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles visited in the 1950s.

“The rest will be modern, because these days, travellers want to stay in nice places,” he said. “The old days of staying in old motels for $45 a night are gone. Those hotels are not going to survive, I don’t think.”

The city sold the hotel to Habib on condition of meeting certain construction timelines. His first benchmark is in June, when he takes over the building. Before then, he must have financing in place, draw up engineering plans, secure building permits, and work out the costing. Renovations would begin as soon as he gets possession, and the entire project would take an estimated eight to 12 months to complete.

Habib believes the time is right to reintroduce a hotel to Thunder Bay’s downtown, to give visitors an option that allows them to walk downtown, visit a nearby café or bookstore, and bring life back to the area. He believes the Royal Edward Arms can regain its role as an anchor tenant, which will attract other investors and developers to help the downtown continue on its path to rejuvenation.

“We neglected it for too long,” Habib said. “It’ll take a little bit of time, but I think it’s going in the right direction.”

www.habibarchitects.com

www.habibenterprises.ca