Ontario Travel – Industrial
Heritage Architecture Becomes a State-of-the Art
Centre for the Arts: the Alton Mill
After a comprehensive tour
of the Millcroft Inn I continued with the historic
theme and visited another landmark destination in
Alton: the Alton Mill – a former knitting
mill that has been converted into an arts centre
with 20 studios and more than 30 artists. To learn
about the interesting story behind this historically
signfiicant building I met with Jeremy Grant, who
together with his brother Jordan initiated the astounding
transformation of this heritage property.
Starting the tour of the Alton Mill with Jeremy
Grant
As we started our walk around the exterior of the
building, Jeremy began to explain the fascinating
history of the Alton Mill. Originally constructed
in 1881 as a woolen mill, the factory produced textiles
such as long underwear and mittens. From 1935 onwards
the mill underwent a transformation and became a
rubber factory that manufactured rubber gloves,
balloons and even condoms for World War II servicemen.
The Alton Mill has been an important part of the
comunity for a long time
Business slowed down over the next few decades
and finally in the 1980s, the factory closed its
doors. Jeremy and Jordan Grant, both active in the
urban planning and development field, bought the
complex in 1990, but by this time the building had
fallen into serious disrepair. The brothers started
an extensive process of working with the local municipality
as well as the provincial and federal governments
to obtain funding for heritage restoration. They
engaged renowned heritage architect Catherine Nasmith
to protect and showcase the historic features of
the complex. The restoration process took almost
two decades, but finally, about a year and a half
ago, the project was completed and the Alton Mill
had been transformed into an outstanding arts centre
with state-of-the-art facilities that are also accessible
to people with disabilities.
The Alton Mill has been carefully restored
We stopped our stroll on the bridge that connects
the Alton Mill with the village, and Jeremy pointed
out one of many unique features of this property:
the old bridge across Shaw’s Creek had degraded
over the years and become no longer repairable.
To replace it, Jeremy resorted to an unusual strategy:
he used the Internet to look for a bridge for sale.
Sure enough, he found one in Northern Ontario and
purchased it. The bridge was disassembled at its
original site and had to be shipped with police
escorts to its new location. The industrial design
of the bridge actually fits in very well with the
factory complex.
Jeremy points out the bridge that was brought in
from Northern Ontario
Then we started walking towards the waterfall where
Shaw's Creek drops down from the Mill Pond. Renowned
heritage architect Catherine Nasmith also designed
the waterfall viewing platform, which is not only
functional, but also makes an artistic statement.
A statue of a pregnant woman by Israeli artist Yael
Ehrlichman adorned the viewing platform and surely
attracts a lot of attention from visitors.
Yael Ehrlichman's sculpture
The Mill Pond was glistening in the sun in front
of us. Next to the building was another statue,
this one by artist Bev de Jong, a gate with a stylized
woman taking a bath and pointing to the water. The
west-facing Pond Gallery is a new addition to the
building that adds a magnificent exhibition space.
A gorgeous view over the Mill Pond
Coming around now to the north side of the mill,
we had a look at the Annex, a former wool storage
warehouse that has been turned into a 4000 square
foot open-air display space. The roof of the warehouse
had deteriorated so much that it had to be removed.
One year ago the stone walls were restored and protected
with a cap against the elements and this space is
not only used for arts exhibitions now, but also
for special events and theatre performances. A live
outdoor theatre performance of the Taming of the
Shrew by the Humber River Shakespeare Company was
scheduled for this week.
The open-air Annex building
The Annex is used for a wide variety of purposes;
in the winter it holds a firepit, in the summer
it is used for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.
Inukshuks were on display to entertain and engage
visitors with their infinite ability to change;
people can get involved and the spontanteous built
stone sculptures have proven to be a popular toy
box for adults. All the art on the property changes
regularly and keeps the audience engaged.
Beautiful summer flowers adorn the property of the
Alton Mill
In and around the Annex we admired a variety of
sculptures, many of which were created by Roy Hickling,
a farmer who creates metal sculptures, often working
with found objects. A canoe shaped bench by artist
Doug Bell adorns the north side of the building
and a scarecrow by Yael Ehrlichman makes a statement
by the Annex. Jeremy also pointed out the water
tower on the mill building which holds a 5000 gallon
wooden water tank that fortunately has never had
to be used. The tower is now the main entry point
into the Alton Mill, and when it is lit up at night
it creates a spectacular visual effect.
The north side of the Alton Mill, with the mill's
tower
We now headed back inside the mill, where Jeremy
introduced me to Peter Van Ryn who runs the Shaw’s
Creek Café. An offshoot of the “With
the Grain” bakery in Guelph, this café
serves fresh, organic lunches and homemade baked
goods. I sat down for a hearty and healthy minestrone,
an organic salad and maple orange pecan granola.
The adjoining gift shop sells locally made items
with a garden and kitchen theme.
A very colourful and healthy lunch
After lunch, Jeremy and I went downstairs to the
Turbine Heritage Room Exhibit. This small museum
displays original equipment and technologies that
used to power the mill. It houses many interesting
artifacts, for example, a penny that was found in
the dirt and picked up by a construction worker
was made into a necklace. The antique coil boiler
shows the original heating system of the mill. Historical
images illustrate how the Alton Mill looked in 1898
and then 7 years later in 1905.
Some of the antique machinery on display in the
Turbine Heritage Room Exhibit
The outlet pipe and the main power takeoff shaft
of the mill are still visible. A so-called “governor”,
made in 1896 in Illinois, operated the gates to
regulate the amount of water flow for the mill.
Engineering drawings from 1910 are also on display
and were used to solve some construction-related
problems during the renovation phase. An ancient
looking electrical panel by the Windeler Electric
Company can be viewed as well. Any mechanically
inclined visitor will have a great time in the Turbine
Heritage Room Exhibit. Best of all, it’s free
to visit.
The Turbine Heritage Room Exhibit
Then we headed outside on the lower level into
the Waterfall Courtyard. This space used to be a
steam room and had a roof which had to be removed
due to excessive damage. The walls were completely
restored on both sides to create a flood-proof structure.
This outdoor patio is used for private parties and
special events and also holds interesting sculptures.
The Waterfall Courtyard is used for many special
events
As a passionate architecture buff, I was amazed
at the creative use of space that has turned the
Alton Mill from a dilapidated factory building ready
for demolition into a leading-edge creative and
gathering place. It was wonderful to see that one
of Ontario’s industrial heritage buildings
has been successfully preserved and repurposed.
Jeremy and Jordan Grant have made an outstanding
contribution to Ontario’s heritage and art
communities.
Artist Ann Randeraad shows us her stonework
After admiring the structure we headed back inside
and I had a chance to meet some of the local artists
who rent studios here. In a short time, the Alton
Mill has become one of the premier arts destinations
in the Greater Toronto Area. Pottery artist Ann
Randeraad showed us her stonework and explained
“raku”, an ancient type of clay work
from Japan that is often used for tea ceremonies.
Bridget Wilson showed us her hot glass items which
consist of numerous layers of glass fused together.
She often also incorporates silver and Svarovski
crystals in her creations.
Bridge Wilson and her art
In one if the studios we met Wayne Baguley, President
of Headwaters Arts, a non-profit organization that
develops artists in the local region. He and his
artist colleague Margi Taylor Self are heavily involved
in promoting local arts events and in developing
young artists. In September their organization will
hold a fundraising event that will raise money for
six arts scholarships in film, music, dance, theatre,
the visual arts and literature.
Margi Taylor Self and Wayne Baguley of Headwaters
Arts
We also stopped at Gallery Gemma, where Anne Marie
Warburton creates and sells unique handcrafted jewelry,
using gold and semi-precious stones. She also redesigns
rings and sells one-of-a-kind pieces from artists
from all over the world.
Anne Marie Warburton and her one-of-a-kind jewelry
creations
There were so many artists to meet and studios
to visit, and I wish I had had more time to spend
time at the Alton Mill. But I had to move on to
my next place of discovery: the historic village
of Belfountain where I was going to visit the Belfountain
Conservation Area.
