“Apparently someone planning a hotel project purchased it, signed a contract, but the financing for the project failed when a terrorist bomb went off in Indone- sia, so the owner put it up for sale with the hope of recovering some of his money,” Fuller said.
“He wanted $350,000, and we bought it.”
Fuller decided to restore the building to its original heritage character. He said while the ground floor had been redevel- oped, the upper floors contained all of the original fixtures, even the original linoleum flooring from the 19th
century.
foundation for character development under sail, will be docking their tall ship “Fair Jeanne” at the site. Fuller, meanwhile, requested a zoning change to allow his company to build the 20-storey Tall Ships Landing mixed-use condominium development in a city that had an eight-storey height re- striction.
The original rules would have al- lowed for the same overall density, but with multiple eight storey buildings occu- pying most of the land. The higher “point block” development
enabled Fuller to
“This proved to be a project of passion, not for the rate of return,” he said. Ulti- mately the Fullers poured about $3 million into the renovations (though the company secured a $600,000 federal heritage grant. The City of Brockville, to encour- age development in the core, waived de- velopment fees and any new taxes on the improved building for five years.) The restoration included designing up-to-date mechanical and electrical systems in a manner that maintained the building’s heritage character and appearance. Current tenants include the federal government’s Service Canada on the ground floor and the provincial Crown Attor- ney’s offices on the upper floors, ironically restoring the building to its original public-service functions. The project took about 18 months to complete, and has received recog- nition - the TOBY award for historical office building of the year from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA). However, Fuller discovered a much greater Brockville de- velopment when he concluded work on his eBay-purchased building. “The City was overjoyed at the fact of having the great- grandson of the original architect doing this work, putting passion into the project, and revitalizing the downtown core with a true heritage building,” he said. Fuller was attracted to a 3 ½ acre vacant harbour front site, which he thought was ideally situated for development. Municipal officials told him the owner, from a prominent Brockville family, had declined to sell it to other developers for more than 20 years. Having observed the renovations of the post office, (now called the Thomas Fuller Building) from their office across the street, the landowners were im- pressed enough that they agreed to sell the land to the Fuller Group. Fuller describes the site as “a centre ice location,” befitting a landmark waterfront development, including condomini- ums, restaurant, shops, boutique hotel, Maritime Discovery Centre and marina. Bytown Brigantine, the Fuller family’s
Gino Giannandrea, left, chairman of the Maritime Discovery Centre steering committee, with developer Simon Fuller by his side, prepares to hit the switch to detonate dynamite to excavate for one of three elevator shafts for Tall Ships Landing, a 20-storey condominum project to be built on Brockville's waterfront. The discovery centre will be included in the project.
keep open space and public areas at grade. “We weren’t asking to increase the density – we simply wanted to shape it differently,” he said.
Brockville City Council liked the idea, gave approval in two unanimous votes, and changed the city’s official plan in 33 days. But one resident objected, re- quiring the matter to go before the On- tario Municipal Board, which ultimately approved the project.
Meanwhile, plans for the Maritime Discovery Centre evolved from a smaller $5 million project to a much more compelling (and attractive) $18 million, 27,000 sq. ft. centre. “The Maritime Discovery Centre is not a museum or a sci- ence centre,” Fuller said. “It is designed to inspire curiosity such that visitors will have a different experience every time they come.”
The facility includes an elevated “Captain’s Walk,” resem- bling a steam paddle-wheeler that used to “ply the river,” providing pedestrian access and views of the harbour and waterfront.
The condos at the Tall Ships Landing project are selling well, says Fuller, ironically largely to individuals who have achieved success in the construction industry, especially from the Ottawa area. They know Fuller’s reputation and they can afford the qual- ity of this extraordinary recreational lifestyle in the Thousand Islands which, in comparison to Ottawa or Toronto, is less expensive.
“Brockville is one of Canada’s finest small cities,” Fuller
says. “With a beauty that rivals Muskoka and the Adiron- dacks none can compare to the views from this location in the Thousand Islands with the views, a constant parade of sea going ships and a vibrant waterfront.”
This area is renowned for its incredible freshwater diving to shipwrecks below and the city owns several of the Thou- sand Islands, affording an incredible recreational playground and coastal living experience. With all of the hometown charm of a small city (less than 25,000 people), Brockville provides many of the cultural, retail and health care ameni- ties you would expect to see in a much larger city, and still it is less than an hour away from Kingston and Ottawa.
The Canadian Design and Construction Report — Spring 2011 – 39
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