Historic Alton Mill reopens to house the artistic community

Jeremy Grant addressed the audience at Saturday's opening while his brother Jordan displayed pictures, past and present, of the Mill. A man had a vision and he passed it on to his two sons.

That dream became reality Saturday, as the Alton Mill was officially reopened.

The Mill is owned by the Alton Development inc., which is affiliated with Seaton Group, and it's been developed in partnership with Headwaters Arts and in collaboration with Peel Heritage.

Brothers Jordan and Jeremy Grant run Seaton Group.

"This is really a very special day," Jordan commented at Saturday's well-attended opening ceremonies, as he reflected on the huge effort it took over several years to reach that stage.

He said they inherited the building, but had little idea what they wanted to do with it. They explored lot of possibilities, realizing it would be expensive to bring it up to standard, and that it would also be difficult to sell. There were some who advised them to demolish the building, but that wasn't very appealing either.

Jordan Grant was assisted by Dufferin — Caledon MP David Tilson, Councillor Doug Beffort, architect Catherine Nasmith and Councillor Richard Paterak as the ribbon at Historic Alton Mill was cut Saturday. "Economic value isn't the only type of value," Jordan observed, adding all buildings need "some loving care and attention, and a bit of money."

The brothers decided to set it up to house artists studios and galleries. It turned out to be a painstaking process, with Seaton Group investing $5 million toward the restoration, with assistance from the federal and provincial governments, through Rural Economic Development (RED) and the Commercial Heritage Properties Incentive Fund (CHPIF). Jordan also said their step-father helped them out with a loan.

Although they officially opened the facility Saturday, the restoration is still a work in progress. "We're not quite there, but we're close," he declared.

Architect Catherine Nasmith, who is also president of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario, also very enthused about being involved in the project. "It's just been a fantastic privilege to work on it," she said.

J.D. Strachan of King City was the construction manager on the project, and the company has plenty of experience when it comes to the restoration of famous old buildings, like Fort York and Osgoode Hall.

"Nothing in this reconstruction shocked me," commented Strachan Vice- President Don Hutchinson. "We were familiar with everything about it, but there was three times as much structural restoration as we first thought."

"It certainly has been a long and winding road," remarked caledon Councillor Richard Paterak, reflecting on the process that had to be followed to reach Saturday's stage.

Paterak added he had know the brothers' father Jack from his work with Oxfam.

"I'm sure he would be proud of his two sons for following through on the vision he had when he purchased this building.

Dufferin — Caledon MP David Tilson commented that he and his wife had been to th site a couple of years ago. "I can't believe the change that has taken place since then," he remarked.

"This has been one whirlwind week," declared Jeremy, as he reflected on all the last-minute work it took to get things ready for Saturday. "A buzz of activity."