Windsor’s historic Paul Martin Building will become a boutique hotel

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Printed Dec 14, 2023  •  Final up to date 17 minutes in the past  •  3 minute learn

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A landmark Windsor heritage constructing will turn into downtown’s first boutique resort.

Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens on Thursday introduced that the principally vacant Paul Martin Constructing at 185 Ouellette Avenue can be delivered to life by RM Holdings, the corporate behind Retro Suites, a preferred boutique resort in Chatham.

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“I’ve seen the work that these folks do — it’s actually exceptional,” mentioned Dilkens throughout a media occasion on the constructing that morning. “They supply the extent of element, of care and a focus, and so they actually care about it. They’ve this creative flare and this high quality of their work that’s precisely the kind of factor we need to see in our downtown.”

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Town will switch the 1934 constructing it purchased from the federal authorities for $1 to RM Holdings for a similar quantity on the situation that the corporate follows by with its $30-million funding plans, Dilkens mentioned. The corporate has additionally been granted tax incremental financing by town’s Neighborhood Enchancment Plan program.

“We predict that will probably be one of the distinctive resort properties within the nation,” mentioned Rob Myers, chairman and CEO of the RM Group. “There’s no query about it, with the issues we need to do with this. We’re very excited.”

The resort is anticipated to have between 80 and 100 distinctive rooms, together with 20 to 40 full-service residences, primarily for company travellers and firms trying to receive a company suite. The resort will characteristic an in-house restaurant, cafe, assembly and occasion areas, a library/lounge, and retail area.

The resort will make use of roughly 150 folks in a mixture of full- and part-time positions. The corporate is eyeing a gap date within the spring of 2026.

Dino Maggio, president of Midsouth Growth, will handle the constructing’s renovation.

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“We’re excited to see the long run restoration of probably the most distinguished constructing within the Metropolis of Windsor turn into the centre of attraction for the downtown core,” Maggio mentioned.

Windsor at the moment has 1,800 resort rooms in its core. Tourism Windsor Essex Pelee Island CEO Gordon Orr mentioned there have been “numerous occasions” all year long the place the hospitality sector has “had challenges” assembly demand.

“Including a further boutique resort to the downtown core, one other providing, may be very optimistic,” Orr mentioned.

Myers mentioned he’ll “most likely” purchase and rework different buildings within the space, as he did with the realm round Retro Suites in Chatham.

“If we’re going to take a position, let’s go all-in,” he mentioned.

Town bought the Paul Martin Constructing from the federal authorities in April 2019 to supply a brief residence for Windsor Public Library’s central department. Through the years, the constructing has housed Canada Publish, the Canada Income Company, and the Canadian Border Providers Company.

Below the federal authorities’s possession, the Paul Martin Constructing for years remained an eyesore surrounded by scaffolding and black mesh to guard pedestrians from items falling off the limestone facade.

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In 2016, the feds tendered a greater than $3-million renovation of the constructing which wrapped up in 2017.

Whereas work is underway to rework the constructing right into a resort and for a while after the resort opens, the library will proceed to function in an space of the constructing beforehand occupied by Canada Publish because the library board works to safe a brand new central department location.

The library had solely two months following town’s buy of the Paul Martin Constructing to maneuver out of its earlier location at 850 Ouellette Avenue, which was offered to the Downtown Mission.

The mission deserted its transfer to the library and offered the property in February 2020 after the financial institution supplying the mortgage for the $10-million challenge — together with renovation prices — withdrew its provide, citing the mission’s flagging funds.

tcampbell@postmedia.com

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