The boarded up building across from the restored Tremont had been empty for five years. Although a major cleanup was the first order of business, the Lexes were encouraged to find most of the original trim and layout in place.

While the wood windows required extensive restoration and some new glazing, most were intact, including all of the original 6/6 windows at the back of both units.

The 2011 Heritage Award is the latest in a series of awards the Lexes have received for their commercial restoration work in downtown Collingwood.

Read more about the restoration in the Spring 2012 Heritage Collingwood newsletter.

With its pleasing mix of style elements from the lat early 20th century, the structure had good bones. But those bones needed considerable shoring up before the couple could turn their attention to the public face of the house.

Eight years after tackling the daunting project, the Dorbeck family is enjoying living in the beautifully restored home and they’re pleased to have received the 2011 Heritage Award for excellence in residential restoration.



Read more about the restoration in the Spring 2012 Heritage Collingwood newsletter.

80 Simcoe Street - Tremont
'a great heritage victory'

With the restoration of the Tremont at 80 Simcoe Street, the corner of Simcoe and St. Paul streets has become a vibrant, creative place - just the way Richard and Anke Lex envisioned it. The Lexes, who had already restored two late 19th-century storefronts on Hurontario Street, saw a future in this sad relic from thte past, and made it happen.

Built in 1889 as a 24-room hotel, the building narrowly escaped demolition to become home to the Bay School of Art, nine artist studios, four third-floor apartments and the Tremont Cafe and Elihu Book Room, a lively bistro run by Collingwood newcomers Christophe and Wispy Boivin.

A dedicated heritage advocate, Ricard was determined to save the historically significant building. "The Tremont is one of the last remaining 19th-century hotel buildings in the Collingwood Heritage Conservation District."

"It's a great heritage victory," commented Architectural Conservancy of Ontario president Lloyd Alter. "Rick and Anke pulled this building from the jaws of demolition."

225 Pine Street

Penny and Ray Jones are old hands at spotting the ugly duckling with the potential to become a beautiful swan. Over the past 40 years, they have transformed many neglected old homes in the Collingwood area, earning a reputation for their vision and solid workmanship.

Under the unsightly siding and storm doors, Ray and Penny discovered the original wide doorcase with sidelights and transom. Though the components were too far gone for restoration, the couple reproduced them to elegant effect. They also replaced the windows with custom 2/2 wooden windows and chose simple trim to suit the style and era of the modest one storey dwelling. With its symmetrical plan and low-hipped roof, it is typical of many homes built in the late 19th Century that have come to be known as "Collingwood Regency-style."

Inside, the surprisingly spacious house features nine-foot ceilings and original pine and maple floors. The couple worked with the original layout, updating the house with a handsome new kitchen and adding an ensuite bathroom to the master bedroom.

The house began to attract a lot of attention as the restoration neared completion last fall. The Joneses eventually sold it to a young couple who had fallen in love with the beautifully transformed home.

83 Hurontario Street

Richard and Anke Lex have been chosen to receive a 2009 Heritage Award for their careful restoration of the storefront at 83 Hurontario Street. The storefront, which has been home to The Feminine touch for the past 20 years, effectively replicates the facade as it appeared in a 1919 archival photograph. The work by Rick Lex and Neil McAvoy of Lisle, who has worked on a number of other heritage buildings, included millwork by Collingwood artisan Ian Birchall.

"In order to recreate the storefront, our main resource was a (Collingwood Museum) picture from 1919," said Richard. "It was very important to us that it be a historically correct restoration. The storefront was built in 1918. We did it as exact as it can be."

The building dates to 1875, when it was part of the Grand Central Hotel, one of the largest and finest hotels in town in its heyday.

The storefront restoration of 18 Huron Street generated a great deal of interest and traffic. The interior features exposed brick walls, grand ceilings and vintage charm.

Owner Steve Vipond, an Orangeville builder, gutted the interior in preparation for a complete interior overhaul and undertook major work to restore the neglected facade.

"He had the door (and storefront windows) custom-made to open up to the more traditional height," said Heritage Committee advisor Ron Martin. "He also had windows custom-made for the second level. The work meets the intent of the heritage district guidelines for shopfront restoration."

Rick Lloyd, owner of Smart's Flowers and Studio 54, at 52-54 Hurontario Street, said he had been planning major changes to his storefronts for many years. Lloyd said he gathered inspiration from historic main streets in small towns throughout North America before launching his restoration project.

"One of the communities I went to that really impressed me was Main Street USA in Disneyworld," said Lloyd, who prepared his own drawings and played an active role in the actual construction. The restoration work was completed over a four month period, concluding in August, 2007.

"I enjoyed it. It was a great process. The staff members at the town building department were more than helpful, even with the simplest things. And the Heritage Committee was very co-operative."

In addition to transforming the street-level facade of the building, which was built in the 1880's to house the Bank of Toronto, Lloyd tackled major renovations of the interior of the interior space.

212 Pine Street

The Heritage Committee has recognized a residential project at 212 Pine Street that successfully expanded the practical living space of a turn-of-the-century family home.

"An addition to the rear of the home was done in a manner that is sympathetic to the heritage character of the house," says Heritage Committee advisor Ron Martin. "the design and materials used complement the existing building."

The gabled roof and transoms above thte openings in the one-storey addition echo design elements found in the original house.

Richard and Anke Lex, owners of 85 Hurontario Street, have created an amazing transformation to their building, now the home of Clerkson's Antiques, Country Furniture and Gifts.

The building was erected by Rev. Lawrence Kirkby of All Saint's Anglican Church in 1882. It has housed many businesses over the years including a grocery, a bookstore, and more recently insurance, barbershop and show repair.

Mr. & Mrs. Lex purchased the building in 2003 have devoted many hours to the renovation of the building with great attention to detail. "It ended up the way we envisioned it," said Richard. "Before we even had a tenant, we decided the way it would look. We were more than halfway through when we approached by Clerkson's. It really was a very good match."

Garden's Nest & Espresso Post

Mark and Christene Krause, undertook to extensively renovate their building at 137-145 Hurontario Street (Garden's Nest & Expresso Post).

This building was constructed in 1897 by W.A. Hamilton, known as the Hamilton Block and was used as the Federal Post Office. It was originally designated as historically significant by L.A.C.A.C. (Now Heritage Committee) in 1985. Mr. & Mrs. Krause purchased the building in 2001 and have been renovating and restoring it to its original condition.

On their first scouting visit here in late 2001, Mark and Christene saw big potential in a downtown building that wasn't even formally for sale at the time. Before making an offer, Mark did extensive research on the property's history and talked to the town's building department about his plans for a cafe and outdoor patio.

"The Town was helpful and encouraging, the location was great, and the things we liked to do (snowboarding and cycling) were around," he said. "It just felt like the best fit for us."

167 Minnesota Street

Mr. & Mrs. Dawson, owners of 167 Minnesota Street, have renovated and restored this stately Queen Anne Revival style home.

Originally built as the Charles Stephens residence in 1901, the home was designated as a Collingwood Heritage building in 1979. When it was completed in the Spring of 1899, this stately mansion won the lavish praise of the local press. Built by the Bryan Manufacturing Company in the fanciful Queen Anne Revival style, the house was hailed as the finest residence in town.

"Amongst the beautiful and palatial dwellings that are the proud boast of Collingwood citizens, the handsome residence just completed for Mr. C.E. Stephens at the corner of Minnesota and Ontario streets occupies pre-eminently the first place," the Enterprise-Messenger pronounced on May 25, 1899. "Everything that wealth and good taste could suggest to create a home, elegant, cozy, comfortable and complete has been utilized in its construction."

Mr. and Mrs. Dawson have done extensive restoration work to the front wall of the home, the slate roof and the veranda.