Thunder Bay

Former Thunder Bay District Courthouse, 277 Camelot Street

Year built: 1924

Builder: F.R. Heakes

Original purpose: This former courthouse sits perched atop a ridge overlooking Thunder Bay’s famous Sleeping Giant. The classical Edwardian beaux-arts building was closed in 2014, and the lands became surplus to the Ontario government.

Adaptive reuse: In 2017, the property was purchased by investor David Sun and has been protected by an Ontario Heritage Trust easement to ensure that the provincial significance of the property is preserved and that any changes are managed in a manner consistent with sound conservation principles. Following a two-year adaptive reuse restoration, the building was reopened as the Courthouse Hotel. While the original exterior remains relatively unchanged, the interior has been sympathetically altered for its new life as a busy hotel.

Adapted by: David Sun

Awards: 2019 Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation

Links:

• Map
• Website
• Video
• Heritage Matters e-magazine