15 Queen Street Initiative

In May of 2021, ACO NextGen partnered with the Cookstown Community Development Team (CCDT) to provide a small group of students with real-world experience in architectural preservation. Participants created a proposal for the restoration and reuse of 15 Queen Street, Cookstown, ON.

This once prominent building, built in 1893, is located in the centre of the commercial district of the Cookstown Heritage Conservation District in the village of Cookstown. In the fall of 2017 the property was purchased and over the next 6 months, the leases held by the existing tenants were terminated or allowed to terminate and the building has remained vacant since. In May 2021, the building was is a shadow of its former beauty, but still plays an important role in the streetscape.

The CCDT believed that, with proper treatment, this building could be revived and continue to contribute to the historic downtown. The CCDT asked NextGen members to help them create visual reports of what this building could look like, if given the proper attention. These reports included a rendering of the restored building with a proposed new use, and used by the CCDT to show the community and local stakeholders, including politicians and developers, that the building is worth restoring and preserving.

Read ACO NextGen member Evan Karl’s impression of the event here.