Tuesday, January 8, 2008

A Big-Time Repurpose

Over the holidays, Alan and I went to stay at the Millcroft Inn, a lovely country inn and spa in Alton, Ontario. We ate, we drank, I had a massage.... as I said, lovely.

But I did not forget this blog or my readers while we were there. I did a bit of research. Because the Millcroft wasn't built as an inn. Originally, it was a knitting mill, specializing in the manufacture of long woollen underwear. The mill closed in 1965, leaving a solidly-built stone building in a beatiful location.

Someone had the vision to turn this into something good. It is now an Inn, Spa, Conference Facility, using buildings originally on the site, including a warehouse and the owner's quarters.

Here in Canada, the practice is usually to tear down a building once its original purpose is finished and build something new. I'm always heartened to see instances of preservation and repurposing.

I'd love to take on a project of this scope someday. But for the next little while, I'll content myself with sorting through the stuff in the basement and seeing what I can make of it.

4 comments:

Kathleen said...

pretty pics! I would love to own a spa:)

Barb McMahon and Alan Mailloux said...

I would just like to live in one!

Unknown said...

Thank you for writing about this topic! While we just don't get it over here, much of Europe has it right - the recognize the beauty in old things...and they build them properly in the first place, so that they DO last long enough to become beautifully old. Yes - while a project of that scope may be too much for right now, your own "repurposing" of smaller things is a perfect rendition of the exact same concept! You'll change peoples minds, one milk glass vase at a time! : )

Barb McMahon and Alan Mailloux said...

You make me blush....