The structure that was Belleville’s Memorial Arena is about 95 years old and is in the process of getting a new lease on life.
Quinte News took a tour of the soon-to-be Memorial Market Place, with owners Hilary Murphy and Ian Wilson (sister/brother), along with Realtor Joe Shunock.
MORE BELOW
A look south to north of Memorial Market Place (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
The entire building is 30,000 square feet and will have entrances from the north, west, and south.
Murphy says they want to highlight the bones of the building itself.
“That style of construction and building materials that were used. We want to preserve as much of that as we can. So trying to expose the original brick, putting a new roof on top of the decking so we can put insulation up above, without affecting the visual aesthetics of the underside from the interior.”
Murphy says when they were able to get down to the nitty gritty of the building, they were happy with what was there.
MORE BELOW
2×12 timbers were taken down, however, they will be part of the future of the building. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Murphy adds that there will be hardware and staples from the old arena preserved in the reimagined site.
The entire Memorial Market Place is not just the arena, it is the former Legion property which will become a parking area for the downtown, along with the first tenant, Benji’s Coffee Bar. The coffee shop is the former BGH Auxiliary.
MORE BELOW
The coffee shop is the first building on the property that is open to the public. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Murphy and Wilson are the brains behind Taskforce Engineering as well, so they are overseeing the project from both a visual perspective and a technical one.
Murphy says the main arena building is very large.
“There’s about 15,000 square feet total of retail available, then there’s another 15,000 square feet that will be on the interior that will be a future events centre, perhaps an extension of the Farmers Market. It would be available to do pop-ups and those kind of community events.”
Wilson and Murphy had a vision for the property, similar to St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. They are excited to be part of a legacy project in The Friendly City and they have seen the investments made by the municipality in the downtown, which has gone a long way.
Murphy says that one tenant has signed on for frontage for the arena site, however ,she says they will make their own announcement when they are ready.
She says the question she gets asked more than anything is, what will become of the old seating from the stands?
“We’ve preserved all of the seats and hardware. Our intention is to get those back out into the community as an opportunity for people who want a piece of memorabilia or nostalgia to be able to own in a way that the funds benefit some local charities.”
A look south to north of the Memorial Market Place. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
A speaker from the old arena. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Former seats from the arena will be made available for sale to the public at a future date. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
The seating from the historic arena have been saved. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
The old clock will be a part of the renovation, along with other pieces. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Roofers clean shingles from the top of the building. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Roofers have a hole in the roof of the building where they are able to drop old shingles. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Workers make an opening on the north end of the building. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
(Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
Benji’s Coffee Shop opened to the public in October of 2023. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
The coffee shop is the first building on the property that is open to the public. (Photo: Tim Durkin/ Quinte News)
