206 Main St South

206 Main Street South is one of the finest buildings in downtown Newmarket.  Built in the mid-to-late 19th century, it’s a lovely example of Ontario Second Empire architecture.  Before our client purchased the building in late 2008, it was divided into retail, office, and residential suites.  Our client wished to keep the existing retail and office uses at street level, and convert the rest of the building to three commercial offices.  Working with older structures, and adopting them for current building codes, zoning bylaws, and present-day occupancies always poses interesting and therefore enjoyable challenges.  We have obtained building permits for the project, and we are working with the client to determine the interior finishes that will be suitable for current uses, but are respectful of the building’s heritage.  When the suites are occupied, we will likely develop improvement packages for the tenants.

The first suite to be occupied was the retail use facing on to Main Street South.  Our client also wished to open a new store and operate it herself.  The result was ‘Haven Décor’, which is an intriguing mixture of modern and traditional furniture, décor objects, and art.  We designed all of the display cabinetry, a cash desk with built-in magazine racks, and chose all of the fixtures and finishes in the store.