it was posted about in the Rumour Mill but now it seems to be a reality...?
http://www.thespec.com/news-story/46...g-to-hamilton/
(^With Rendering)
Tim Hortons museum coming to Hamilton
By Samantha Beattie
(The Spectator)
It's a historic moment for Tim Hortons first location.
Plans were announced Thursday to transform the restaurant at 65 Ottawa St. N. into a two-storey restaurant and museum by November.
"We're creating a showpiece for the neighbourhood by doing something very different and unique," said Tim Hortons COO David Clanachan.
The museum will exhibit the coffee chain's memorabilia, which is currently housed at its Oakville headquarters.
"We believe the memorabilia belongs in Hamilton to pay homage to our history," said Clanachan.
When visitors walk through the front doors, they'll see a sleek modern-style serving counter, as well as a 10-seat bar facing the street.
Stairs and an elevator will take people to the second floor, which will have a seating area equipped with a fireplace and TVs. This space will hold up to 40 people.
Running along the back of the second floor will be a series of six rooms forming the museum.
Visitors will be able to walk through time, with the first room beginning in the 1960s and the subsequent rooms progressing through the decades and ending in the future.
The museum will also highlight Tim Hortons Hamilton roots.
Restaurant No. 1 was opened in a converted car repair garage on Ottawa Street North on May 17, 1964. Founder Tim Horton won the Stanley Cup playing with the Toronto Leafs weeks before he launched his business.
In 1965, Hamilton police officer Ron Joyce took over Restaurant No. 1. By 1967 he opened two more stores and became equal business partners with Horton. When Horton died in a car accident in 1974, Joyce bought the shares from Horton's wife and became sole owner of the chain.
That year he also helped in the creation of the Tim Horton Children's Foundation, a charitable organization that runs camps for children from economically disadvantaged homes.
Under Joyce's leadership, Tim Horton's spread across Canada and became the country's dominant coffee shop. Now it has more than 4,000 restaurants in Canada, 800 in the United States and two dozen in the Middle East.
The outside of restaurant No.1 will be transformed into a neighbourhood hub that features a wrap-around patio at street level, as well as trees and flowers, an expanded parking lot and a bronze statue of Tim Horton.
Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina said the development fits well within the city's revitalization efforts.
"I think the community is going to love it," he said. "Having a company like Tim Hortons make an investment of this size in our city goes to show you there's serious growth and vitality here."
The city approved the company's plans on Wednesday. That means there will be enough time to get the renovations done within the company's 50th year.
To make room for the expansion, Tim Horton's purchased the two adjoining residential lots along Ottawa Street North, north of the store, said Clanachan.
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