The Town of Essex will hold a ribbon cutting to celebrate the grand opening of Hopetown Dental in Harrow on Friday.
The newly constructed building recreates the iconic brick facade of the historic structure that once stood at the foot of Queen and King Street.
The iconic brick building was originally constructed in 1883 but was demolished in 2022 due to safety concerns.
The building served as the home of various businesses, including an antique store and a hotel. It was best known as the location of T.B. Adams' General Store.
T.B. Adams was a prominent figure in Harrow, renowned as both a local businessman and the town tax collector. He played a vital role in the growth and development of Harrow and served as one of the earliest presidents of the Local Board of Trade. Adams, who operated T.B. Adams' General Store until shortly before his death in 1948, is credited with installing the building's iconic brick facade.
The new owners, Sebastian Schmoranz and Dr. Rena Rabheru, designed a new building that meticulously recreated the distinctive brick facade of the original structure.
Essex Mayor Sherry Bondy says the town presented the owners with the Community Heritage Preservation Award in February 2023, while recognizing that the building needed to come down, it was appreciated that they kept the heritage look and feel to the downtown core.
"So it's brand new building offering dental services on Main Street Harrow. Right when you drive down Queen Street you can't miss it. It's beautiful modern facility offering family dental practices."
She says the new construction is a good sign.
"It's showing that when we invest in our downtown, with for example the Harrow streetscape, that we're going to get that private investment to match the town's investment."
She says council wants to continue investing in businesses...
"So it could be bringing back the CIP program or looking at mini grants for facades. We did that in Essex. We really want to work with our businesses to make sure that we have a variety of businesses."
The ribbon cutting took place on Friday, June 30 at 5:30 p.m. at 15 King St W, Harrow.
-With files from AM800's Rob Hindi