The Broadview Hotel gets lit

Paulette Huebert Touby —

The new Broadview Hotel let its guard down Oct. 5—literally—removing the scaffolding that has been surrounding the building for over a year while a complete reno took place under the auspices of ERA Architects.

Streetcar Developments who bought the 125-year-old historic building in May 2014 invited the neighbours for a lighting ceremony at night where they served coffee and a creamy dessert that will be one of the menu items in the restaurant of the new 57-room boutique hotel  when completed. All watched under the stars in the dark until—voila!— a beautifully lit building illuminated the historic architectural detail  in the Richardsonian Romanesque style.

It will open late spring or early summer 2017.

The hotel in its previous most recent incarnation was the home to Jilly’s, a “charismatic” gathering spot featuring lady dancers as well as housing guests and 45 long-term tenants who had to be moved. Streetcar rehoused the long-term tenants by collaborating with Woodgreen Community Services, paying for two staff persons to assist and paying the tenants’ first and last months’ rent as well as moving costs.

Streetcar Developments, based in Riverside, have developed a number of low-rise buildings in the Downtown core. Their philosophy is “rethink urban living” and they believe that projects must integrate seamlessly within the neighbourhood and enhance community living.