What's going on at The Corner in Thornbury

Anyone wondering why Thornbury's signature building at the corner of Bruce Street and Hwy 26 suddenly morphed into a giant blue cube may be thinking it is 2015 all over again. That's when Randall and Jane Litchfield last renovated their iconic building that now houses The Corner Cafe & Grill, The Georgian Artisan Shop, and three upstairs apartments. That renovation took the better part of a year and transformed a 140-year-old gem into the completely updated structure it is today.

The couple says that the current reno will take  six to eight weeks and the focus is the exterior brick. More specifically, it is the top six feet of the building and its intricate pattern of red and yellow brick that has graced this busy corner of town since the 1880s. More than a century of wind, rain, sun, frost and snow have taken their toll on the mortar holding the bricks together and softened the bricks themselves to the point where pieces of brick were falling on the sidewalk and birds were nesting in the wall. Skilled workers are now removing the top six feet of brick and then rebuilding with new brick, replicating the original design and pattern.

Jane Litchfield says, "We agonized about this repair and whether we could do it without changing what we consider a Thornbury landmark. Fortunately, we knew the right craftsman for the job."

Mason Alex Krucker, owner of Two Rivers Restoration, restores historic brick and stone buildings across Ontario. He hails from Guelph and has been fast friends with the three Litchfield offspring since grade school. After university, Alex decided his true passion was heritage restoration and he enrolled at Willowbank School of Restoration Arts at Queenston in their three-year program. He has since been in high demand by building owners who make preservation their top priority.

Supporting Alex are Jane and Randall's general contractor, Jamie Ballard and his company Project Home. Managing the project overall is the couple's son, Justin Litchfield, who moved to The Blue Mountains last year.

The Corner and The Georgian Artisan Shop are open for business as usual and the Litchfields are hoping folks will show these small local businesses some extra love during the renos.

And what of the blue cube? Justin describes that as the skin the crew stretched over the four-story scaffolding system to prevent brick and mortar fragments from falling on the sidewalk and road. The scaffolding is specially designed for  heavy work in a pedestrian area and securely attached to the building. 

On the lower level are sheets of plywood to ensure the safety of passers by, which Justin has a special idea for. "Rather than look at blank plywood for 8 weeks, I think it would be great to have someone paint them and then keep the plywood afterwards. If anyone has ideas, we would love to hear from them!"

Randall & Jane Litchfield

Left to right: Alex Krucker, Justin Litchfield, Randall Litchfield, Jamie Ballard