This 1850s “Townhouse” Style Commercial Building Needed a Facelift!
…and it doesn’t look a day over 145 now we are finished!
This is a great example of a circa 1850 Georgian “Townhouse” style commercial building on Port Hope’s main Street. Unfortunately, the years have not been kind to the old girl and the brickwork and windows are in very sad shape due to moisture penetration and just plain neglect! Luckily, the Port Hope Branch of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario and a committed owner have joined forces to get this front updated.
Over the past months, we did some cosmetic surgery to restore the brickwork on the upper stories and restore the original windows to look exactly like when they were new. When we got into it, we found that the main structural support, just above the street level windows, was so rotted it was about to give way! Needless to say, we quickly replaced it.
It’s now beautiful and another gem for Port Hope’s historic main street.
Rob
UPDATE: The ground floor facade has now been restored! We made the large shop window in our own workshop. The facade now matches the western half of the building.
The finished exterior. All new window sash and complete brick restoration re-using historic bricks. Both sides of the building now match and reflect their original character as retail stores with accomodations above. The front wall is now secure and insulated.
