Bruce Whitaker receives the 2022 James Anderson Award in recognition of his restoration efforts of an iconic downtown property
The careful restoration of a 150-year-old building that’s revitalized an iconic part of downtown Stratford has earned a local innkeeper one of the city’s most prestigious heritage honours.
Perth County Inn owner Bruce Whitaker accepted the 2022 James Anderson Award from Heritage Stratford during a ceremony at the historic Ontario Street building Tuesday afternoon.
“I feel really good about it,” Whitaker said. “My hope is that the refurbishment of the building will be an inspiration to others. If … they’re interested in renovating an older building and bringing back its beauty, then that would be perfect.”
Originally built in 1868 by prominent businessman JA Redford, 2-6 Ontario St. is one of the oldest commercial blocks in Stratford. The triangular building, now serving as the downtown core’s western anchor, is right across the road from the Perth County Courthouse and has frontages on all three sides – York, Huron and Ontario streets.
Various retailers have occupied the building over the years, including James Lloyd, a grocery store owner who imported fruits from the West Indies, Italy, California and Mexico. However, it’s the building’s more recent tenants that will likely trigger nostalgia for many Stratford residents.
Canadian Tire moved in after the Second World War and was open until 1958. The building was also home to the very popular Family and Company toy store until it closed about five years ago.
Afterwards the building remained but began falling into disrepair before Whitaker purchased it in 2018, two years after his first major downtown renovation project – a building down the street famous for housing inventor Thomas Edison during his brief stay in Stratford.
“I certainly wasn’t looking to renovate another building,” Whitaker said, “but walking by the building each day I couldn’t resist the opportunity of bringing it back to life.”
Structural repairs and window and door replacements were among the most needed exterior fixes. Whitaker maintained the building’s elaborate brickwork, including dichromatic brick quoins and buff brick window surrounds, matching the original red and yellow when it was necessary.
“The building needed a lot of attention,” Whitaker said.
That included a base with a dirt floor and wooden support beams, all of which needed to be replaced.
Inside the five-room Perth County Inn, Whitaker has paid homage not only to the building itself but also to Stratford’s broader history. A 40-foot timeline of the city’s most interesting historical tidbits are illustrated on the walls and there are also sections dedicated to the city’s great musicians and actors, including artifacts shared by the Stratford Perth Museum.
“I thought Stratford’s heritage would be a good theme for the Inn,” Whitaker said. “I was always intrigued by Winston Churchill’s quote: ‘The father backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see.’ We can certainly learn a lot from Stratford’s history.”
Besides the inn, the renovated building now also includes eight residential apartments, a trendy taco shop and cocktail bar, and an antique store. A Japanese takeout restaurant is also moving in soon, Whitaker said.
Cambria Ravenhill, chair of the Heritage Stratford advisory committee, said Whitaker’s project ticks a lot of boxes that helped it stand out among this year’s James Anderson Award nominees. Perhaps most importantly, she said, is the impact the renovation has had on the western edge of Stratford’s downtown.
“What’s interesting is that not only has he renovated and restored this very old building, what he’s done is he’s completely revitalized that end of Ontario Street,” said Ravenhill, highlighting in particular a deck and garden near the entrance to the inn that’s replaced what used to be tangled weeds. “It’s just really attractive. Suddenly you’re getting all of the foot traffic down towards that end fo the block and people are looking at it as a destination.”
James Anderson, the advocate founder of the Stratford Perth Museum, was a Stratford school teacher who later became an influential and uncompromising heritage. Heritage Stratford, the committee he also founded, hands out an award in his honor every year.
Whitaker’s attention to preserving the Redford block reflects Anderson’s passion, Ravenhill said.
“You can feel his enthusiasm. James Anderson himself, I think, was really kind of similar to (Whitaker). Very passionate and involved and interested int he history and the heritage of Stratford, and someone who was completely committed to making things happen.”