48 Ontario Street
The History
As a designated historic property, the former Legion building is recognized for its design, physical, historical, associative, and contextual values within the city of Kitchener. The preservation and restoration of this building would extend beyond it’s defining architectural features – which include the exterior brick rustication, brownstone doorcase and frontispiece with entablature, tall rectangular window openings with brownstone lintels and sills, and a flat roofline adorned with a simple cornice – but also encompass the historical and contextual values of the building. The programming would embrace the history of the site as a live entertainment and music venue, bar, and social gathering space. The design includes a two-storey addition to the historic structure which is set back from the street level façade. In order to protect the historic integrity of the former Legion building the new addition will be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features of the 1910 Classical Revival structure but easily identified as a contemporary addition through the use of modern materials.
The Vision
In relation to the ongoing growth and economic prosperity that the City of Kitchener has seen, and is continuing to see in recent years, RFB Development recognized the growing importance to maintain some of Kitchener’s most valued cultural communities. With that intent RFB development is proposing to redevelop 48 Ontario Street into a multi-purpose boutique hotel and mixed commercial use building that will be heavily focused on reviving some of Kitchener’s culturally significant past. The boutique hotel in combination with a variety of commercial uses – including a community kitchen, art gallery, live music venue, bar, and café – effectively forms a functional vertical neighbourhood that promotes community-oriented spaces which interact and operate collectively.
The redevelopment of 48 Ontario Street would offer a number of public and community benefits. The proposed development plan demonstrates direct contributions to the objectives outlined in sections 15.D.2 (Urban Growth Centre) of the City’s Official Plan and the design objectives contained in Design Brief 4.0 (Downtown Design Districts) of the City’s Urban Design Guidelines, including:
Increased vitality to downtown by offering a building with multi-functional spaces and diverse programming in order to attract people to the downtown area in a variety of ways
Fostering local pride and interest through well-designed public spaces and thoughtful architectural development
Restoration and preservation of an important cultural resource
Further support of arts and culture within the City Centre District in order to foster an authentic experience unique to the City of Kitchener The site is ideally located to take advantage of the amenities offered along King Street, creating a pedestrian-friendly environment that would also encourage growth among other downtown businesses.
Discover What’s New
Stay in the know about new projects, community events and thought leadership from our team