Historic Paisley, Ont. inn to be replicated into housing

Paisley Inn torn down to make room for housing Locals are sad to see the old building go but excited about the new development. CTV London’s Scott Miller reports.

Paisley, Ont. — The historic Paisley Inn is now a pile of rubble.

The once proud structure that was first built by the co-founder of Paisley back in 1851 was taken down in a matter of days to make way for a new housing development.

“It’s an historic building that was tired and needed to be replaced. We’re happy with the group that’s come together to replace the Inn. The vision they have has us all very excited,” says Arran-Elderslie Mayor Steve Hammell.

That vision will see the former tavern turned into a four-floor building featuring 40 condominiums with retail shops on the main floor. The developers say from the outside, it will look a lot like the old Inn.

“We’ll be replicating the original inn as closely as we can to the original from the front and side. It’ll have commercial space on the main floor, but it will be residences everywhere else. The idea is to keep the charm of Paisley going, so it will look the same as the old building,” says Paisley Inn’s developer, Garrett Eggink.

The Paisley Inn’s heyday was in the ‘60s and ‘70s with people coming from far and wide for the famous tavern’s food and hospitality, but since closing in the ‘80s it’s sat largely vacant.

“It was a popular spot. We’re just happy to see it have new life, right in the centre of our village,” says Hammell.

The developers say they’ve heard loud and clear, the significance of the inn’s history, and will do their best to capture that in the new condo development, especially at a time when housing comes at a premium in and around Bruce County.

“As we’ve gotten to know the people of Paisley, we’ve gotten a great understanding of what this property meant to everyone. It does not go unnoticed by us. We’ve been careful with it and we intend to keep that charm going,” says Eggink.

Eggink expects the Paisley Inn condo development to take up to two years to complete and local realtors say they’ve already had people interested in being the first tenants in the new building.