This page was created by Sharon Trac.
Impact of the Condominiums
The adaptive reuse and transformation of a once industrial site to privately-owned, has brought life back to this site by making it once again functional. The opposition against demolition and a new build had ultimately made the Boulton Brown Mill more environmentally and economically sustainable. Conservation efforts and approaches as seen in the rehabilitation project of the former mill are important to architecture and building of today and the future. It lays a good foundation and serves as an example for heritage sites of good quality to be completely refurbished to better accommodate contemporary uses while maintaining its character-defining elements, tangible and intangible qualities. Many heritage sites that are vacant and suffering from the decay due to fire, poor maintenance, and/or the effects of the weather more often than not are left abandoned yet still occupying valuable space. In the case of the Boulton Brown Mill conversion to modern condominiums, it preserved the original exterior structure, replaced the roof, created new and smaller interior spaces, and implemented more windows. Through this intervention, the significant structure that resides along the Mississippi River in the historic core of Carleton Place was given another chance to serve its community like it once did some two hundred years ago.
Footnotes
19. Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum, 2022, "On February 7, 1970, Ritchie's Feed and Seed, located in the old Boulton Brown mill complex, caught fire," Facebook, April 5, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/Carletonplacemuseum/photos/a.173161679407401/5200952406628278/.
20. McDonald, Carol, 2022, "Very happy it got saved," Facebook, April 5, 2022. https://www.facebook.com/Carletonplacemuseum/photos/a.173161679407401/5200952406628278/.