The head of the local Architectural Conservancy is putting his money where his beliefs are.
Richard Lex has bought the crumbling Tremont Building from the town of Collingwood, with plans to restore it to how it looked back in 1889.
The Tremont was originally a hotel serving travellers on the railroad through Collingwood.
In the 1970’s, it became a strip bar and as the site of the only murder of a Collingwood police officer in the town’s history.
The building has been boarded up for the last several years, after the property was purchased by the previous town council, destined to become a parking lot.
Under the deal, the town keeps the parking spots on the property, with Lex taking over just the bricks and mortar.
Lex says he will add solar panels, greywater recovery and other eco-friendly measures, with work starting as soon as the sale closes next month.
The plan is for the Tremont building to house commercial space on the ground floor, with living space above.