Royal Hotel Conversion

Cambridgite · #1 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 2:32 AM**

I can't believe we don't have a thread on this, but....

http://news.therecord.com/article/243384

Royal Hotel to be turned into condos

September 18, 2007
KEVIN SWAYZE
RECORD STAFF

CAMBRIDGE

The rotting, city-owned Royal Hotel will be transformed into upscale condominiums and retail space if a city developer's plans unfold as promised.

But taxpayers lost $732,668 on the deal to sell the building at Wellington and Main streets.

A $115,000 offer to purchase the building, from AAK General Construction of Cambridge, was formalized unanimously last night, after being accepted in principle in a closed-door council meeting Aug. 13.

Downtown ward Coun. Ben Tucci was the only council member to speak to the issue.

"I support the motion wholeheartedly," he said.

Two years ago, he pushed council to expropriate the building for $650,000 to remove the public safety hazard from downtown.

Police and downtown residents had ongoing concerns about the low-income rooms for rent. The building, built in 1850, was the hub of downtown's drug and prostitution problems. When a fire inspection in December 2005 found exposed wires, and hearing rumours that someone was planning to torch the building, city officials ordered the building condemned just before Christmas. City and region officials helped tenants find other places to live.

Since then, the city has spent another $197,668 on boarding up the building and security patrols. When the city decided to sell it, it had an appraisal value of $450,000.

The building was listed with Coldwell Banker realty, which toured 15 potential buyers through the building over six months.

Council wanted the landmark building's exterior saved. Council rejected one offer on the building, from Cambridge Rollerama earlier this year, because it wasn't clear about its plans for the building, neither was it offering enough, Densmore said. The offer price was never made public.

As the building sat boarded up, mould and rot grew in the stale air, prompting open talk by councillors in the summer that demolition might be the only future for the building.

The building also lost resale value because there was no business operating in it after the hotel was closed, said Bo Densmore, the city's economic development commissioner.

Amir Klein, one of the owners of AAK construction, toured the building in June and worked fast with city officials to bring the offer forward in August.

He proposed to preserve the exterior of the building while reworking the interior. That was key to the city accepting the offer, a report to council says.

Klein has agreed to work with the city's heritage advisory committee "to restore the architectural facade of the building to its original states, or as best as feasibly possible," the report says. Klein has also agreed to have the prominent building designated as a historic structure once work is done.

As part of the deal to sell the building, the city will grant six parking permits in a nearby city lot for use by residents of the new condominium units.

kswayze@therecord.com

Cambridgite · #2 Posted: **Feb 29, 2008, 2:40 AM**

From the Outlook on Cambridge paper, we are looking at 4,000 square feet of retail space on the bottom floor. The following are quotes from the article...

McFarlane is hoping to find a coffee shop company like Tim Hortons or Starbucks to fill in the remaining space.

"We need a good coffee shop in there," she said. "There isn't one in the area and it could serve city hall, the courts, the Durward Centre, and this end of Main street.

Once construction begins, Klein suspects the project will take about a year to complete.

Also, in the article, it shows a picture of the present-day building. It has a sign on it and the only words I can make out are "Coming Soon! 2009" and I can see a rough outline of the building and some small letters. When I get a chance, I'll go down and snap a photo of the building with the sign on it.

Cambridgite · #3 Posted: **Mar 30, 2008, 9:24 PM**

Taken on March 28, 2008, this is the sign that was recently put on the Royal Hotel.

Cambridgite · #4 Posted: **Sep 15, 2008, 5:21 PM**

I saw the inside door open today and it looked like there were people working on the building inside. However, there's still the bars on the outside door to keep people out. The sign slates occupancy for summer next year, so stay tuned!

Cambridgite · #5 Posted: **Oct 3, 2008, 7:53 PM**

Today, they were either sandblasting, or they were putting on the finishing colours to the exterior. Let's hope this is just part of the sandblasting process.

jeicow · #6 Posted: **Oct 5, 2008, 8:09 PM**

I'm glad to see this one getting worked on. Galt has too many great buildings left empty with bars on. I saw that sign all summer and thought that it was another dead project, but it looks like this thing will actually become something. I hope that this does turn out to be another coffee shop or a (dare I say) name-brand restaurant since (sadly) that is one of the only way to get people into cores who wouldn't come in otherwise.

rapid_business · #7 Posted: **Oct 7, 2008, 3:54 AM**

....I'm not crossing my fingers with this one. They area really going to need a new roof it looks like.

jeicow · #8 Posted: **Oct 23, 2008, 10:38 PM**

European coffee shop set to perk up old Royal Hotel
By Ray Martin
Business
Oct 23, 2008

Cambridge's love affair with the coffee bean is only going to be intensified with the latest news concerning the future of the old Royal Hotel.

In recent weeks, the building has undergone a dramatic transformation as owner Amir Klien has redone the exterior of the 1890s hotel - chemically scrubbed to bring back its original yellow brick work.

Now, sales representative Vicki McFarlane has confirmed a 10-year deal has been signed with Woodstock-based Coffee Culture to lease 1,800 square feet of space for one of its European-style coffee shops.

"Coffee Culture is amazing," McFarlane said. "They are a high-end coffeeshop whose prices are very reasonable."

McFarlane said she approached the company, after visiting one of their stores in Sarnia and was surprised at the favourable response she got.

"First I was surprised they got back to me so quickly, then they came down to see me and went through our Concession Street condos," she said. "They were so impressed with the work that Amir is doing they wanted to see more. When they went through the Royal and learned about the pedestrian nature of the neighbourhood, they decided this was the place for them."

McFarlane said the company had its architect down to take measurements and start designing the new shop. It will occupy space at the corner of Main and Wellington streets and include a sidewalk cafe.

"Amir has taken down the original wrought iron railings while the sides for the building were cleaned so they could be repaired, but they will also be used now to mimic in the railing being built around the sidewalk cafe," she said.

Tula Campbell, leasing and development manager for Coffee Culture, said her company prefers to locate in small towns and older buildings, often in corner locations.

"It just suits our style," she said. "We're really looking forward to opening in Cambridge."

Campbell said work on the new coffee shop will take place after Klien completes work on the rest of the building.

McFarlane is confident a tenant will be found for the remaining 2,200 square feet of commercial space on the Royal's main floor and for the 11 condominium units on the upper levels.

Cambridgite · #9 Posted: **Oct 24, 2008, 12:56 AM**

Nice find, Jeicow.

I'm glad it was an independent and not Starbucks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeicow

Tula Campbell, leasing and development manager for Coffee Culture, said her company prefers to locate in small towns and older buildings, often in corner locations.

Sure...if you consider it a small town.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeicow

McFarlane is confident a tenant will be found for the remaining 2,200 square feet of commercial space on the Royal's main floor and for the 11 condominium units on the upper levels.

More retail? Nice!

Cambridgite · #10 Posted: **Oct 1, 2009, 12:11 AM**

Well, it is now confirmed that Coffee Culture is making its move into the Royal Hotel building when renovated.

http://www.coffeeculture.ca/canada/index-5A.html

Apparently there is another location under development in Cambridge. I'm not sure where it is and I can't seem to get a map link for it.

Cambridgite · #11 Posted: **Oct 30, 2009, 8:58 PM**

I'm not sure what the inside looks like, but all the loft windows have been replaced. The bottom floor still looks like crap.

Duke-Of-Waterloo · #12 Posted: **Oct 31, 2009, 2:56 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cambridgite

The bottom floor still looks like crap.

They probably held off on fixing it up because Coffee Culture will come in and do all their own work for their unit. You can kind of tell that Coffee Culture will be going where the brick/facade is all white.

Thanks for all the Cambridge updates Cambridgeite! Things are definitely coming along.

jcollins · #13 Posted: **Oct 31, 2009, 4:27 PM**

So coffee culture will be in at the front, where those white bricks are. Will there be anything fronting on the other side?

rapid_business · #14 Posted: **Oct 31, 2009, 6:14 PM**

probably lobby and entrance for the condo.

jcollins · #15 Posted: **Oct 31, 2009, 6:28 PM**

I should have read some of the info above. 2200 sq ft of commercial space still to be leased. (as per the article about coffee culture signing on)

rapid_business · #16 Posted: **Oct 31, 2009, 6:32 PM**

/\ ah yes, there you go.

nmoore · #17 Posted: **Nov 12, 2010, 6:52 PM**

After recently relocating to Cambridge I have heard about on “the royal hotel”. Unsure of what it was I decided to do some research. I am very interested about the development and I found your thread very useful. I have also found this in the newspaper online from a couple of weeks back -

“AAK has also embarked on the redevelopment of the infamous Royal Hotel at the corner of Main and Wellington streets.
The 12,400-square-foot building was sold by the city for $115,000, and as part of that deal AAK has acquired parking for the new residents in a nearby city parking lot.
Since purchasing the building, AAK has gutted the interior of the old hotel, cleaned up the building’s yellow brick exterior, installed new windows and re-shingled the building angled mansard roof.
AAK plans to put the main floor of the building to commercial use. The Ontario-based coffee house chain Coffee Culture Café & Eatery will be the major occupant. Coffee Culture is slated to take 60 per cent of the ground floor for its newest store.
Meanwhile, local entrepreneur Wes Mazur has leased an additional 15 per cent of the available ground floor commercial space for a consulting business called Grand River OHS.
AAK principal Amir Klein said the toughest part of salvaging the Royal Hotel has been replacing the building’s failing superstructure, but now that that task has been completed, renovations to the building should go much faster.
It too is expected to be completed sometime this summer.”
– Ray Martin –Cambridge times- October 28th 2010

I’m hoping to go by there later today and maybe see what activity is going on.

will keep you posted

rapid_business · #18 Posted: **Nov 12, 2010, 6:59 PM**

Thanks for the update. You might find more useful and current information on the Wonderful Waterloo forum. Since that started, the Waterloo threads here on SSP have been a ghost town.

mark76 · #19 Posted: **Nov 26, 2010, 4:51 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by onishenko

Thanks for the update. You might find more useful and current information on the Wonderful Waterloo forum. Since that started, the Waterloo threads here on SSP have been a ghost town.

how come you are not there at ww forum?

Cambridgite · #20 Posted: **Jan 7, 2011, 5:24 AM**

Progress is slow on this one...

Late December, 2010