Historic Cobalt train station seeing interest from southern buyers
The current owner of Cobalt’s old Ontario Northland train station intended it for his wife to open an antique shop, before she fell ill.
Their realtor, Suzanne Othmer, told CTV News the owners are hoping someone with a vision and the finances can bring it back to life.
“If somebody wanted to have a brewery, restaurant-type or even artists,” said Othmer.
“That building in the summer is so beautiful because you open all the windows and the doors and you have a nice breeze coming in and it’s overlooking the lake.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Undated photo of the former Ontario Northland train station in Cobalt during the summer. (Photo courtesy of Realtor.ca)”Built in 1905, Cobalt’s train station quite literally carried the town through its silver boom that made it known as the silver capital of the world.Plans for the historic train station in Cobalt dated 1909. (Photo courtesy of Realtor.ca)“In 1919, the Prince of Wales visited Cobalt and there’s pictures of him at the train station, coming off the train,” said Othmer.
Since ceasing service in 2012, the town had taken it over, using it for a military museum and an interpretation centre.
“Constructed like others of its kind at the time, it was reliable and almost all of the original architecture remains,” Othmer said.The interior of the former Ontario Northland train station in Cobalt. (Photo courtesy of Realtor.ca)Plans have been drawn to renovate the upper level into apartments, while the main floor can be used for commercial space.
The main entrance gives way to what was originally a ladies-only lounge.
“You walk into the other room, which is where the conductor would have been,” said Othmer.
“And there’s a large safe there, that’s still there.”
Then opening up to the main lobby — with vaulted ceilings, restored beams and original subway tiles reminiscent of Toronto’s Union Station, which shares the same architect, John M. Lyle.
The property has been listed for almost a year now and Othmer said it’s recently been gaining interest from potential buyers from southern Ontario, who may have the capital to renovate the building’s interior.
The exterior of the former Ontario Northland train station in Cobalt. (Photo courtesy of Realtor.ca)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
$1.6B parts plant for Honda electric vehicle batteries coming to Niagara Region
A Japanese company has announced it will build an approximately $1.6-billion plant in Ontario's Niagara Region that will make a key electric vehicle battery component as part of Honda's supply chain in the province.
B.C. brings in law on name changes on day that child killer's new identity revealed
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Manitoba premier to visit areas impacted by wildfire
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew will get a close-up look at the devastation from a large wildfire burning in northern Manitoba Tuesday.