John Muir Branch Wins National Award For Heritage Conservation

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The John Muir Branch of Windsor Public Library has been recognized as one of the finest examples of heritage conservation in Canada by a national awards competition.

Architectural work on the 1921-built firehall and historic stable which was transformed into a 7,400 square foot library won an Award of Excellence in the Conservation – Architecture category from the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals (CAHP) in their 2021 Awards competition that celebrates excellence in heritage conservation across Canada.

“When a heritage building is renewed, reused and repurposed well, communities embrace environmental sustainability and celebrate their history,” said Christienne Uchiyama, president of CAHP. “The John Muir Branch of the Windsor Public Library does exactly that – it incorporated green architectural practices and used historic elements to tell the story of the Sandwich Firehall and Stable.”

The restoration saw the firehall return to the way it looked in 1941, while the stable was returned to its original mid-19th century construction. A glazed observation tower was added to the firehall and a building addition to connect the firehall and stable was created while maintaining the overall historical essence of the two sites.

Receiving the award were architects Jason Grossi from studio g+G inc., architect and Christopher Borgal of GBCA Architects.